Family Love
by Brinchen86
Summary: Sometimes a friendship isn't what it looks like. With a little help, it can quickly turn into more. - DL, AU
1. Showing The Real Face

**Family Love**

**Summary: Sometimes a friendship isn't what it looks like. With a little help, it can quickly turn into more. - DL, AU**

**Author's note: This is another AU story which I started to write and I want to thank afrozenhearte412 for discussing and reading and madmush for reading and betaing! This fic is set in the present time in New York. The rest will be explained in the chapters. :) I posted it on my LJ already and I think now is the time to post it here as well. I hope you'll enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything.**

**Rating: T**

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****Chapter 1: Showing The Real Face**

"Mommy, come on! We have to hurry!" Forcefully, Lucy pulled at Lindsay's hand. Her mother rolled her eyes, couldn't help but laugh though.

"Slow down, Lucy. There's no need to hurry," she told her excited daughter.

The eight year old sighed deeply. "But Mommy! Daddy's surely waiting for us already and don't forget, we want to go to the zoo after lunch!"

Lindsay sighed herself, but didn't reply though. She could understand Lucy's excitement. She always acted like that when they visited her father. If it was up to the girl, she and Danny would be living together in a big house now and would be married.

They had made another decision back then when they had found out about their baby. Danny was Lindsay's best friend since she had moved from Montana. Back then, she had felt like she needed a fresh start and some distance from her old home. With the support of her family, she had made the big step.

Then, one afternoon, she had visited the beautiful little Italian diner. There the two of them had met. They had quickly become close friends. This hadn't even changed after this one night they had spent together; the night when Lucy had been conceived. They had agreed to stay friends but make sure that the child would always spend enough time with the both of them. Sometimes it seemed as if this friendship was more than just that. But so far, she wasn't willing to admit that to herself or him.

"Mommy, come on!" Lucy pulled at her mother's hand more firmly.

"Yes, baby girl, I'm coming." Lindsay followed her daughter into the diner. Automatically, she smiled. She loved this place a lot. She spent at least one hour a day there; mostly together with Lucy and in the past whenever she found time for a little snack. Danny and his best friend Don had opened the Italian diner many years ago. It had soon turned into one of the most visited diners in New York.

"Daddy!" Lucy exclaimed as she spotted her father behind the counter and jumped into his open arms. Danny laughed as he managed to catch up the eight year old girl.

"Lucy, I think you're getting too hold for that. My poor back isn't cooperating," he told his daughter with a smile.

"I told her that as well, but you know her. Stubborn like her Daddy," Lindsay said with a wink.

Danny chuckled. "And like her Mommy." He set Lucy back down. "Don't you want to greet Uncle Don as well? You know, he always loves to see his favourite goddaughter."

"Yes!" Lucy shouted, already running off towards the kitchen. "Uncle Don!"

"Inside voice, Lucy," Danny told her with a sigh. He turned back to a smiling Lindsay. "She won't ever learn that."

"Well, I guess it's the bad influence when we take her to a game," Lindsay replied. She climbed onto one of the bar stools. Danny handed a glass of water to her. "There we don't talk in our inside voices either."

Danny laughed. "Hello? You gotta cheer for your team, you can't do that in your inside voice."

Lindsay chuckled. "True." She nodded lightly and took a quick sip from her glass as she realised she could no longer keep on smiling. She had tried her best when she had arrived and it had been easy as she had been amused by Lucy's adorable behaviour. But now that she had a second to think, her mood changed almost instantly. The way Danny raised his eyebrows at her told her he had noticed her mood change already before she even got a chance to hide it.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she answered, taking another sip of her water.

Danny sighed lightly. "Don't do that, alright? I know you. For years now. I know when something's wrong." He leaned against the counter and lowered his voice so only Lindsay could hear him. "Is it because of Alan again?"

Lindsay's face turned bright red. "I shouldn't talk to you about him all the time," she answered, clearly answering his question with this response.

"Why not?" Danny wanted to know. "You can't keep it all to yourself. I know you can always talk to your Mom, but she's miles away. You know I always listen. And I promise I won't interfere if you don't want me to."

Lindsay hesitated for a moment. She found it difficult to talk about what was really upsetting her. Danny was right. Her current boyfriend Alan was indeed the reason for her bad mood. But she felt uncomfortable with talking about him, even though she knew she had the right to do that and even though it usually made her feel better to get advice.

"It's fine, really," she said then. "It's just exhausting with him. You know, I sometimes just don't understand him. On the one side, he is barely at home, he is constantly flirting with other women, but then he gets angry whenever I just mention you."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? Well, he knew about me when the two of you got together. He knows we're close and that we spend a lot of time together. Especially because of Lucy."

"I know," Lindsay agreed. "I keep on repeating myself, but he's still horribly jealous. It's just tiring."

"Just tiring?" Danny gave her a suspicious look. "I met that guy more than once. He's quite an aggressive person. He didn't hurt you yet, right? Or Lucy?"

It was just a question, but Lindsay hadn't missed the sparks of anger in Danny's eyes. He was right; Alan had a very high temper. Other men especially were a dangerous topic that shouldn't be brought up in front of him, despite the fact that it was actually Alan who kept on flirting with every woman he met.

"He hasn't hit me yet if that's what you meant," she answered. "And he's mostly ignoring Lucy. But that doesn't make it any better."

"You know, no one's forcing you to be together with him," Danny said, a little hesitation in his voice. He didn't want to influence her in any way. The truth was that he didn't like Alan at all. There was something about the banker he didn't like. The man was used to looking at him with a slight hint of disgust. Danny didn't know whether he did that out of jealousy or because he felt like the owner of a diner wasn't worth his attention. He didn't understand why Lindsay had started this relationship in the first place, but it wasn't his job to question that. But he believed it was his job to make sure she was happy and he disliked the way she was treated by this man.

"It's not that easy," Lindsay replied, shrugging. "We've been together for half a year. Don't you think it's too early to just break up with him again? I don't want to do that to Lucy either." She paused. "Alright, maybe it has nothing to do with her. He ignores her anyway. Plus you are her father. She'd never accept anyone else."

"Exactly." Danny tried to suppress his smile. He wanted Lucy to accept the boyfriends of her mother, even though she rarely had been together with anyone during those years. Anyway Danny was glad that Lucy adored him; no one would ever be a father for her, not even some kind of a second father. Just like none of his girlfriends had ever come close to being anything like a mother for the child.

During the last eight years, Danny and Lindsay had rarely had any relationships. They didn't want to confuse Lucy with many different people in her life. Apart from that, most women and men had had a problem with the closeness between the two parents. Alan wasn't the first one.

"I don't think there's a certain period of time which you should give a relationship," he told her then. "If you realise that you just don't fit together, it's better to just break up with him instead of torturing yourself." He lifted her chin gently to make her look at him. "You know, since you're together with him I barely ever see you smile. If you think he's not the right one for you, stop it."

"But..." Lindsay sighed deeply. "See, at the beginning he was really nice. He was such a gentleman and he even seemed to try and be open to Lucy as well. But right after I moved in with him, he became so arrogant. He snaps because of everything, he doesn't want to have anything to do with Lucy and he rarely has any time for us anyway." She shook her head at herself. "I wish I hadn't moved in with him. I was so naïve. I believed him when he said I could just move in with him and be there for Lucy all day instead of doing three jobs at once. I can't believe I was that stupid."

"You weren't stupid," Danny replied softly. "I know how much you always wanted to be at home more so you could be there for Lucy after school. I know you fell in love with this guy. You couldn't have expected he'd turn out to be such an a...such a person."

Lindsay couldn't help but smile lightly. "Such a person? I'd have liked to know what you really think of him."

"You know what I think of him," Danny answered with a wink. "Seriously, Montana. If I was you, I'd think about it, really. Don't torture yourself with someone who doesn't get what a wonderful woman you are."

Lindsay laughed. "Are you trying to flirt with me?"

"Is it working?" he teased back. "I mean it though. Lucy doesn't need him. You don't need him either. If you have feelings for him, fine. But if you're just afraid to break up with him, you should question yourself whether you're actually happy or not."

Lindsay nodded. She wanted to respond but changed her mind as Lucy rushed back out of the kitchen, this time pulling Don with her. She couldn't help but smile at the sight. If someone was open and friendly to her, Lucy could be very affectionate. Alan had lost his chance to build a relationship with her long ago.

"Daddy, Uncle Don made us awesome pizza," she announced excitedly. "Can we have it now? And then go to the zoo?"

"You have a lot planned for today, huh?" Danny asked his daughter amused.

She nodded eagerly. "Absolutely. But first I need pizza."

Lindsay smiled at her daughter's excitement. At least for these few hours she would spend with her and Danny, she didn't want to think about Alan. He wasn't worth the stress.

* * *

It had been a wonderful day. Lucy was still excited and talking without a break when she and Lindsay arrived back home. She had barely entered the large apartment and she could already feel the tension that promised nothing good.

"We're home," she announced their presence, noticing the hesitation in her voice. Even though she hadn't seen Alan yet, she knew he was angry. Her theory was proven right when he joined them in the living room, arms crossed in front of his chest, eyes narrowed.

"Where have you been?" he asked coldly. "Do you know what time it is?"

"We've been at the zoo," Lucy said, by far not as excited as she had been just a minute earlier.

"Couldn't you have called?" Alan hissed.

"I'm sorry," Lindsay apologized. "I told you that we'd meet Danny for lunch and then go to the zoo. I never told you when we'd be back."

Alan laughed angrily. "You met him at noon. What did you do all those hours, huh? Do you really think I'm stupid enough to believe that you spent so many hours with lunch and a visit at the zoo?"

At this point, Alan was shouting and Lindsay couldn't help but tense as he made a couple of steps towards her.

"But that is what we did," Lucy said carefully.

"Shut up!" Alan shouted, startling the child.

"Don't yell at my daughter!" Lindsay shouted back.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Alan yelled, making another step towards Lindsay so only inches were separating them. She could feel his breath on her face and fear was filling her. "I worked my ass off all day and that's what I get? A girlfriend who rather spends all day with her so called best friend? The father of her daughter? Are you fucking kidding me?"

Lindsay shivered. She threw a short glance at Lucy who was staring at them in fear. "Go into your room, sweetie. I'll be right there in a minute," she said softly, trying to smile. Lucy hesitated for a moment before she nodded and left. When she heard the sound of the door being closed, she turned back to Alan. "You know there's nothing going on between us because I'm no cheater," she tried to say in a calm voice but couldn't hide the shaking in it. "We just spent some time with our daughter, that's all. You knew from the beginning that we're close. If you had a problem with that, you shouldn't have gotten together with me." Alan's anger only seemed to increase, but Lindsay knew she had to create some distance between her and him if she didn't want the argument to escalate. She didn't have a doubt that Alan wouldn't shy away from crossing the line between anger and violence. "I don't want you to yell at me in front of my daughter again. Excuse me."

With that she left Alan standing in the middle of the living room. She quickly headed to Lucy's room. She found her daughter lying on her bed, staring towards the ceiling in silence. Her heart ached at the sight. So far, Lindsay had managed to hide her arguments with Alan in front of her child. This time he had simply unloaded in front of her, and even she had feared for a moment that he would go further than yelling this time.

Quietly, Lindsay made her way over to the bed and lay down next to Lucy. "I'm sorry he scared you," she said after a few minutes. "I told him to never do that again."

"I don't believe him," Lucy answered. "He almost hit you. I hate him." She had tears glistering in her eyes. "I never liked him, he's never friendly. Not to me, not to Daddy and not to you either."

Gently, Lindsay ran a hand through her daughter's hair. "We should give him another chance, sweetie. If he gets so loud and unfair again, he can find someone else to be mean to."

Lucy moved closer and wrapped her arms around her mother's waist, snuggling into her. "I hope so," she said.

Lindsay embraced her daughter tightly. She thought of what Danny had told her earlier. She should think about whether she was happy with this man or not. Right now, the answer for this question was easy. But she still didn't find it easy to make the step which she wanted to make for a while now.


	2. Options And Decisions

**A/N: Aww, thanks for the lovely reviews! I'm happy you like this new story so far and so here is the next chapter for you. :) Big thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! Huge thanks to madmush for betaing! Special thanks to MesserFamilyFan100, Dine89, afrozenhart412 and Lindsay1234!**

**Also if you want to read a really good fic, check out The First Step by the incredibly talented madmush!  
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****Chapter 2: Options And Decisions**

When Danny had opened the diner, he had made one of his biggest dreams come true. Together with his best friend, he could finally be independent and have his very own place where he could sell their tasty Italian food, in an atmosphere where everyone felt comfortable.

It wasn't surprising him that Lindsay had immediately fallen in love with the place when she had visited it for the first time. From this day on, she had visited them every day. Thanks to that, they had become the close friends they were now.

Most people didn't really believe them; not only because they seemed to be close like a couple, but they had a daughter as well. They had agreed to stay friends though and Danny was fine with that. Most of the time at least. There were times in which he wondered if maybe they were just fooling themselves. He believed in friendships between men and women, but theirs was almost unnaturally close. Usually, those thoughts got pushed quickly aside. They were friends and this friendship meant too much to him to ruin it only because he was confused occasionally.

Since Lucy was born, they had rarely dated other people. They didn't want to confuse their child with someone new around her too often. Apart from that, most of those people Danny and Lindsay had dated hadn't liked how close they were. Danny didn't know whether he would have a problem with that or not.

He knew though that Alan had been aware of this closeness and yet he had agreed to give the relationship a try. That he was now bothering Lindsay with his jealousy made Danny furious. Everyone who knew her was convinced that she would never cheat. Alan, the one who kept on flirting with every woman, seemed to be the only one who didn't believe that.

"You're quite far away today with your thoughts."

Don's voice caused him to snap out of his thoughts again. Danny glanced at his best friend in slight confusion. "What?"

Don smiled at him. "You seem to be a bit distracted. Make sure you don't cut yourself with that knife." His expression turned serious. "Seriously, Danny, what's up? What's bugging you?"

Danny shrugged. "No idea. Nothing, it's fine."

The way Don raised his eyebrows at him told Danny that he hadn't managed to convince his friend. "May I guess? I think it involves a certain woman and this asshole which calls himself her boyfriend."

"I just don't get why she's even together with him," Danny sighed. "He doesn't fit to her at all. He's arrogant, totally full of himself; he thinks he's something better just because he's making more money a day than we do in a month. He's incredibly jealous, yet he has never time for her and keeps on flirting with others. Why is she together with him?"

It was Don's turn to shrug. "Maybe she fell in love with him at the beginning and now she's afraid to break up with him. You know how she is. Her top priority is Lucy. She wants her to have something stable. She's together with this man for half a year now, that's not so long. Maybe she thinks if she breaks up with him, that'd not be good for her. You know, because first Lucy gets used to him and then he disappears again."

"Do you agree with her?" Danny wanted to know.

Don shook his head. "Honestly, if all parents who raise their child like that would act like the two of you, many children would have it a lot better. Lucy has very stable surroundings. Her parents get along as if they were actually a couple. I'd even say your daughter will be glad when this guy pisses off again. Personally, I agree with you that he's an ass. He was really nice to her all the time until she moved in with him. He tricked her and as Lindsay believes in the good side of every person, she thought he was indeed that nice."

"And what are we supposed to do now?" Danny wanted to know.

"Daddy?"

At the voice of his daughter, Danny turned around in surprise. "Lucy?" He stared at his daughter in disbelief. She was standing in the doorway, giving him an unsure look. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at school. Didn't Mommy take you to school this morning?"

"She did," Lucy answered carefully. "But...I needed to come here."

"Why?" Danny could feel his concern rise immensely. He knew Lucy. He could feel something was bothering her and that worried him. He made his way over to her and knelt down in front of his daughter. "What happened, sweetie?"

"I hate Alan," she said, her voice even smaller than before. "He's such a mean person. I want him to go away finally."

Danny winced at his daughter's words. He had hoped the reason why she had decided to skip school because she needed to talk to him didn't have anything to do with Alan. Now his concern increased even more.

"What did he do, sweetie?" he wanted to know, trying to keep himself as calm as possible. "Did he hurt you or Mommy?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, but he was really angry yesterday when we came home and he screamed at Mommy because he didn't believe that we were at the zoo." She lowered her gaze. "He was so mad that he almost hit her, Daddy. I think she was afraid as well."

Danny couldn't help the sigh that escaped him. He hadn't missed that Alan was an aggressive person. So far, he seemed to have been able to suppress his violent side, but if the fact that Lindsay hadn't been home quickly enough made him almost hit her was a sign that he was close to losing this bit of control as well.

"I want him to go away finally," Lucy repeated. "I don't want him to beat Mommy just because he's stupid. She didn't lie at him and he didn't even listen."

"Did you Mommy say anything about that later?" Danny wanted to know.

Lucy nodded. "She said if he gets mean again, we'll move out. But I want us to move out now. He is always rude to her. He never speaks nicely to her, only when he's really in a super mood. And he always ignores me. He is even worse than Cindy was."

"I see." Danny couldn't blame his daughter because she wanted Alan to go away. He himself had this wish for months now. "Guess what? I'll take you back to school and then I'll visit Mommy and talk to her. Does that sound good?"

Lucy nodded. Danny got up and instantly, her hand grabbed his firmly.

"Don, can you take care of the diner for a bit?" he wanted to know.

"Sure thing." Don nodded. "Try to convince her finally. No one wants this guy."

Danny nodded. Gently, he led Lucy out of the diner, already mentally preparing what he wanted to tell Lindsay.

* * *

Lindsay was standing in her kitchen, drinking another cup of coffee. She didn't know how many cups she had had already, but her mood wasn't getting better. She stared out of the window, but this time she couldn't really enjoy the beautiful view across New York City.

The argument with Alan was still bothering her. She cursed herself by how he had managed to trick her at the beginning of their relationship. He had been a gentleman, had been nice to Lucy and even to Danny. Back then, she hadn't understood why Danny had never liked Alan, but now Lindsay understood that he and Don simply had been able to look through the façade of this man.

By now, Lindsay didn't know anymore why she was together with Alan. The only reason why she feared to break up with him was that she had introduced another man to Lucy who could then just disappear. Apart from that, she didn't have an apartment or job anymore. She depended on a man who seemed to just use her when he needed his beautiful girlfriend to show off. He had no respect; he flirted with other women right in front of her. He had a major problem with Lucy and a bigger one with Danny, even though Lindsay had told him right at the beginning that the three of them had a close relationship.

Last evening, the relationship had reached its worst point. Lindsay didn't have a doubt that if she had said one more word, Alan would have hit her. Right in front of Lucy if she hadn't sent her daughter away. It was only a question of time until it would happen and she knew it.

The sound of the doorbell startled her so much that she almost dropped her cup. Instinctively, she hurried to the door, just to realise that if Alan had come back because he had forgotten something, this would have happened hours ago. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and opened the door.

"Morning," Danny greeted her. He offered a brief smile but it couldn't overplay the concern in his eyes.

"Morning," Lindsay greeted back in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"May I come in?" he wanted to know.

Nodding, Lindsay stepped aside. Hesitantly, she closed the door again. It rarely happened that Danny showed up at this apartment and the thought of Alan finding out about it made her shiver.

"I know what you're worried about," he told her as if he had read her mind. "But honestly? This psycho doesn't need a reason to freak out, right?"

"How do you mean?" Lindsay asked confused.

"Lucy skipped school and showed up at the diner earlier," Danny answered.

"What?" Lindsay stared at him in disbelief. "But...why?"

"Because she's scared of your stupid boyfriend," Danny told her, struggling with hiding the emotions which this topic caused. "She was afraid because he yelled at you and almost hit you. Do you still think you should give it some more time? What for? To wait and see how it feels like when he really loses it?"

He stopped to allow her the chance to answer. When Lindsay didn't say anything, instead only blushed, he added, "God, you just were a bit late because we were at the zoo! You weren't even alone with me, you had Lucy with you. What will he get pissed at next? And what will he do then, huh? Beat you up because you dared to talk to me without anyone around? Or what if he finds out that I'm here now?" He sighed, running a hand through his short hair. "I swear, if he dares to touch you, I can't guarantee for anything. Why don't you finally break up with him? Lucy hates, everyone else does. Don't tell me you love him!"

It was Lindsay's turn to sigh. "I was in love with him. At the beginning. Not anymore." She shook her head at herself. "I know it was wrong to even get involved with him. I really felt so good around him at first. He was such a friendly guy. I can't believe how stupid I was to believe he was really that nice. I just...wanted a boyfriend who accepts you and Lucy and who's nice to me. He was just like that at the beginning. And now?"

"He played a role," Danny said, in a much softer tone now. "Don't blame yourself because you didn't see through that. Like you said, you wanted someone who's nice and accepts us. Plus you're not someone who tries to see the bad in people all the time. You're way too cute to do that."

Despite her mood, Lindsay couldn't help but chuckle at this comment. "And what am I supposed to do now?" she wanted to know. "If I break up with him...I'm homeless. Lucy could stay at yours, but...I don't have an apartment and I don't have a job either."

"What?" Danny shook his head at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? You won't be homeless. You and Lucy can both stay at my place."

"You don't have to do that," Lindsay replied.

"I know that, but I want to," Danny said firmly. "Don't be so stubborn. I'd be happy if you two stayed at my place. You can stay as long as you want."

"And what if you have a girlfriend around? I doubt she'd be happy to see me and Lucy there," Lindsay answered.

Danny rolled his eyes at her. "When did I have my last girlfriend? That was ages ago. I don't have time for that at the moment." He closed the distance between them until only inches were separating them. The support in his eyes almost managed to wipe away the emotions that had been bothering her all morning long. "I mean it. You shouldn't be together with such a man. If you break up with him, you can stay at my place with our daughter. You're welcome there any time. Just think about it." He placed a kiss onto her forehead. "I have to go back to the diner now. Just promise you'll think about it."

Lindsay nodded. "Alright. I'll think about it. We'll see."

Danny offered a light smile and gently embraced her. Lindsay knew he would make sure she had an apartment and soon a new job. And as she thought of this option, an unexpected relief was filling her. She would talk to Alan later and explain to him that their relationship made no sense anymore. No matter what he would think of it; she had decided what she wanted to do.


	3. Taking The Offer

**A/N: Big thanks to you guys for reading, reviewing and adding this story to your favourites and alerts! Huge thanks to madmush for betaing! Special thanks to rhymenocerous, rapidtetv, Dine89, afrozenheart412 and MesserFamilyFan100!**

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****Chapter 3: Taking The Offer**

Pacing up and down in the living room, Lindsay glanced at her watch once again. Alan should arrive at home soon and her nervousness was increasing with every minute. She had already played with the idea of telling Alan that their relationship wasn't working anymore. Since her conversation with Danny, she was convinced that this decision was right.

She had sent Lucy into her room already as she knew that the following conversation wouldn't be nice. Alan wouldn't be happy when she told him that she wasn't interested in continuing this relationship any longer. It was necessary though and just the thought of being free again was relieving her. She should have stopped trying the moment she had seen Alan's real face for the first time.

As she heard the sound of the key in the keyhole, her heart started to beat faster. Nervously, Lindsay waited until Alan joined her in the living room. He gave her a dark, cold look; it wasn't the first time that he didn't even have a reason to be angry at her.

"You want something?" he asked harshly. "I'm hungry, where's dinner?"

"Um...can't that wait for a moment?" she asked carefully. "Because...I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Alan's eyes narrowed as he stopped in the middle of the living room. Lindsay felt her nervousness increase as he focused on her. She had to make this step now, no matter how frightening it was.

"I...think we should talk about us," she started. "Because I think I'm not the only one here who thinks this relationship...can't continue like this."

Even though she hadn't spoken out directly that she wanted to break up with him, Alan had understood the hint immediately. With a few long steps, he closed the distance between them, stopping only inches in front of Lindsay. She felt the strong urge to back off but forced herself to stay in place.

"What are you talking about?" he hissed.

"I can't do this anymore," she answered, surprising herself as this time, her voice wasn't shaking at all. "Your jealousy is driving me crazy. I'm no cheater and if you knew me, you'd not accuse me of that. And the worst is it's actually you who keeps on flirting with every woman you meet. You barely have any time for me. You complete ignore my daughter. You knew Danny and I are close when we got together. Why did you act as if you liked him and as if you cared for Lucy before I moved in with you? Why did you act like a gentleman and the moment I moved in here, you stopped it? You're showing me your real face more and more, and I don't like it. I want a man who loves me, not who wants me as something to show off with in front of his friends."

Lindsay had been more honest than she had planned to be. Unfortunately Alan didn't seem to appreciate that. The cold, furious look he gave her made her shudder.

"So you want to tell me what? That you wanna break up with me?" he asked. In a loud voice that made her tense, he shouted, "Answer!"

"Don't yell at me!" she shouted back. "Who do you think you are? You fooled me with this whole 'I'm interested in you and your family and I'm such a nice and friendly guy' game! I was so stupid to believe you, and what did I get for that? Someone who screams at me although I'm doing nothing wrong. Yes, you got me right, I'm breaking up with you!"

She had expected him to yell back at her, but Alan's reaction she hadn't foreseen. Without a warning, he raised his hand and slapped her in the face. Taking a step backwards, Lindsay pressed a hand against her heated, red cheek in disbelief, staring up at the man in front of her.

"What?" he shouted coldly. "What do you expect me to do? To just stand here and stare? You wanna break up with me? And what do you wanna do then? You have no job, you don't even have an apartment."

"That's none of your business anymore," Lindsay hissed. Without wasting any more time, she hurried over to Lucy's bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Alan shouted after her.

"What do you think?" she asked back, in the same angry voice. "And don't even try to stop me or I'll call the cops."

When she entered the child's room, she found Lucy sitting in the middle of the floor, covering her ears, looking up at her with huge eyes. She jumped up, throwing herself into her mother's arms.

"Your face is red," the young girl said, trying to hold back her tears. "He is so mean, I want us to go finally!"

"And that's what we'll do now," Lindsay told her softly, placing a kiss onto her daughter's forehead. "You know your big bag which you always use when you visit Daddy? Pack everything into it that you really need and want to take with you. We'll pick the rest up later. But for now put in everything you really need."

Lucy nodded, quickly searching for the bag while Lindsay hurried into her bedroom. She ignored Alan, who was already awaiting her there.

"Come on, what's all that about?" he asked, using another tone now, but Lindsay didn't bother to look at him. Instead she threw her suitcase onto her bed and started to fill it with clothes. "Would you please say something?"

"What am I supposed to say?" Lindsay asked him. "You just slapped me! That only proves me right. I'm done with this relationship. I should have made this step a lot earlier."

"Oh, come on, that was just an accident!" Alan replied, his voice already getting louder again. "Will you finally stop packing? Where will you go to anyway? To your awesome diner owner?"

"Like I said." Lindsay glared at him. "It's none of your business." She grabbed another bag. "I'll have to pack Lucy's stuff. Get out of my way."

A few minutes later, Lindsay and Lucy were on their way downstairs. And with every step, she knew Danny was right; this relationship hadn't been good for her. And finally, a true smile lit her face again.

* * *

It had been a long day at the diner but even though he was tired and just wanted to sit down finally, Danny couldn't relax. He still was thinking of how Lucy had shown up at the diner and how he had visited Lindsay then.

He had to admit he was worried and more than once, he had reached for his phone but then put it aside again. He wanted to call her so badly, but he knew if Alan overheard the conversation, this would make the situation even worse.

With a sigh, he switched through the TV channels as he sound of his doorbell echoing through his apartment almost made him drop the remote. He jumped up from the couch and hurried to let his guest in, instinctively hoping for two certain visitors.

"Hey," he greeted as he opened the door and indeed was facing Lindsay and Lucy. Danny's expression turned serious immediately as he saw the bags they were carrying. Lucy dropped them and wrapped her arms around her father.

"You suggested something today," Lindsay said. "Did you change your mind already?"

Danny stepped aside, offering an encouraging smile. "Come in."

He helped with the bags and carried Lucy's into her room. "Why don't you unpack already?" he asked his daughter. "I'll make some space for Mommy's stuff, alright?" He stroked over his daughter's cheeks gently as Lucy only nodded without even looking at him. "What's wrong, baby girl?"

"Alan slapped Mommy into the face," the girl said. "He was so mean. We won't go back to him anymore, right? We'll stay here now. I don't want him to be mean to her anymore."

"Yes, you and Mommy will stay here now," Danny promised softly. "Don't worry about him anymore." He ruffled her hair. "And now unpack."

He made his way into the bedroom where Lindsay was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the suitcase in front of her. Quietly, Danny sat down next to her, watching her for a moment. He hadn't missed the reddened cheek.

"Is Lucy okay?" she asked then. "She was so quiet all the time." He could see the first tears glistering in her eyes.

"Yeah, she just wanted to know if you'll stay here now and wanted to be sure you won't go back to Alan," Danny answered. "She was worried because he slapped you."

Lindsay shook her head. The first tear rolled down her cheek. "I didn't want her to hear that. I always tried to keep all arguments away from her and tried to calm him down when he was angry. Yesterday was the first time she witnessed him screaming at me like that. I didn't want her to hear this today."

"It's not your fault he freaked out like that," he told her softly. "He's the one to blame. You broke up with him because you know it's not good for either of you to stay around him. It's all fine now. You're here, he won't bother you anymore."

"Thank you." Lindsay smiled at him lightly. "Thanks for letting us stay here."

"Anytime," Danny answered, smiling back at her. He reached out and gently took her chin so he could examine her cheek. "Does that hurt a lot?"

She shook her head. "No, it doesn't hurt at all. I guess it's more the gesture that shocked me than that it actually hurt. I can't believe he went that far."

"Well, you have to expect everything from such an aggressive person." He ran a hand through her soft hair. "But now you don't have to care for him anymore. I won't let him anywhere near you again."

Lindsay nodded, smiling softly. "Now I just need to find a new job so I can right find a new place as well."

Danny sighed lightly. She was stubborn, but he knew he wasn't any better than her. "Why are you in such a rush? I told you that you can stay here as long as you want. No matter if it's for days, weeks or months or for who knows how long. You're welcome here, okay?"

"But this is your place and...I can't expect from you that...no idea." Lindsay shrugged, obviously unsure about what to say.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Is that still about this whole 'how do you want to have a girlfriend here when I'm here all the time with our daughter' stuff? Montana, I'm not interested in having a new girlfriend, I'm way too busy with my diner. I'd rather spend some more time with the two of you, and how could we do that better than when you're living here with me?"

Lindsay's smile widened a bit. "I guess I should just listen to you, right? The job question is still not answered though. You know that most people aren't too excited to employ a single mother."

"Well, you're living together with her father, just don't say you're a single Mom," Danny suggested. When she shook her head, he added, "If you don't find a job, why don't you start working for me and Don?"

"At the diner?" Lindsay asked surprised.

Danny laughed. "Well, yeah, because as far as I know, my dream of having a huge bank balance hasn't worked so far." He winked at her. "I know Don wouldn't mind at all and I'd be glad if you worked for us. Don and I have so much to do lately because we seem to get new guests every day. It'd be great to have someone who helped us. You could even work part time if you want; in the morning when Lucy's at school, you work at the diner and then you can spend the afternoon with her. I know you won't earn that much to get yourself a new place that quickly then, but like I said, you can stay here."

"You really want that, huh?" Lindsay asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Yep," Danny answered. He smirked at her, but then turned serious again. "Think about it. You moved in with this idiot. Could it be worse than that? I told you I want to have you here. Don't bring that stupid girlfriend topic up. I'm not interested in that at the moment. I rather have fun with my family. We have enough space here for the three of us. We need help at the diner and you can decide how long you want to work; part time or full time. And Lucy will have her parents together in one place. It's the perfect solution."

"I know," Lindsay replied. "But even if you don't have any girlfriends at the moment, won't it bother you that I'm sleeping on your couch?"

Danny raised his eyebrows at her. "Who's talking about my couch? You'll sleep here. With me." He grinned at the look she gave him. "What? You should know me by now. I won't make a move on you. Don't worry."

"I don't worry about that, but isn't it odd that we're sharing a bedroom? That we're even sharing a bed?" She threw a glance at it. "I mean, our friends will think that's...strange."

"Who cares for what they think?" Danny shrugged. "And before you bring it up; I think Lucy is used to her parents being weird."

It was Lindsay's turn to laugh. "You have an answer for every question, huh?" She sighed once again. "Okay. I think your idea is great, but if you change your mind..."

"I won't," Danny interrupted her.

Lindsay smiled. "Okay. So if you really want this, I'd like to stay here with Lucy and also work at the diner for you." She shook her head, her smile widening. "I can't believe it. This morning, I was so upset because of Alan. Now I'm not even together with him anymore, I moved in with you and even have a new job. A great one."

He grinned in response. "Awesome, huh? I know, my ideas are the best."

She laughed. "And you're quite full of yourself. But in this case, you're right. It was a fantastic idea."

"That's good," he said. "Welcome home."

"Thank you," she replied.

And while Danny and Lindsay started to unpack the suitcase, they didn't know that Lucy had been hiding near the door. With a broad grin on her face, the girl hurried back into her bedroom before her parents would catch her.


	4. Unexpected Surprises

**A/N: I'm very inspired for this story, so I managed to write a couple of chapters already which means I can update a bit quicker. Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing this story! Thanks to madmush for betaing! Special thanks to MesserFamilyFan100, webdlfan, afrozenheart412, Dine89, rapidtetv and Lindsay1234!**

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****Chapter 4: Unexpected Surprises**

When Lindsay woke up the next morning, she felt wonderfully relaxed. It didn't take her long to remember that she had moved in with Danny the day before. Everything had happened so fast, but she was glad she had made the decision to break up with Alan. He hadn't made her happy. Instead he had put so much pressure on her that she hadn't even been able to smile anymore.

Yawning lightly, she stretched in bed and opened her eyes. It was a Sunday morning and from what Lindsay knew, Danny didn't have to work either. It meant all of them could stay at home and the thought of that caused her smile to widen.

"Must be something really nice you're thinking about."

Opening her eyes, Lindsay turned to the other side of the bed. Danny was lying on his side, watching her with a grin. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Did you seriously watch me while I was asleep?" she asked him.

His grin widened. "It's quite enjoyable to watch you." He inched a bit closer. "You know, Lucy's surely still sleeping for at least another hour or so. So what do you think...you and I in bed...I could think of a lot of things to do."

Lindsay stared back at him with raised eyebrows until he broke out into laughter. "Why do I have the feeling you'd have liked me to say 'yes'?" she teased him with a grin of her own.

"Well, you never know what's going on in my mind," Danny answered with a wink.

"I think I don't even want to know," she replied. She yawned again and sat up. "Would you mind if I had the first shower?"

He shook his head. "I could just join you, then we could even save water." He laughed as she glared at him. "Okay, okay, enough flirting for today. Sure, enjoy the shower." He sat up as well. "Do you have any plans for today already?"

"No," she answered. "Why? Do you have any ideas?"

He shrugged. "I'm sure I could think of something. I was thinking we could spend the day together. Kinda to celebrate that we're all living together now."

"Sounds good." Lindsay smiled. She headed into the bathroom, not without throwing a quick glance into Lucy's room. Her smile widened as she saw her daughter lying in her bed, still deep asleep. She knew Lucy had always felt the most comfortable at Danny's place, especially when Lindsay visited him together with her.

Quietly, she closed the door again, but her thoughts continued turning around this topic. She knew that Lucy was more than happy that all three of them were living together now, even though it wasn't clear for how long they would stay roommates. She had been smiling and chatting all evening long and it had been tough work to get her into bed.

Lindsay knew the exact reasons for that. Lucy wanted her and Danny to get together. More than once, their daughter had told them how much she wanted them to get married like the parents of the other children in her class. It was understandable to them both; they were close and Lucy loved them. She wanted them to be a real family. Even though neither of them was planning on getting together though, at least they were living together now and maybe this would at least partly make their daughter happy.

But Lindsay also knew that Lucy was as stubborn as her and Danny. Even though they constantly tried to explain to her that they were just very good friends, she knew that the eight year old would continue matchmaking until one day she would be successful.

Lindsay's face turned bright red as she caught herself by having this thought. Until she would be successful. This was actually not up to debate. But sometimes, so she had to admit, she wasn't really sure about that anymore.

She entered the bathroom and removed her clothes. As she stood under the shower spray, the water drumming onto her soft skin, she closed her eyes and for a moment just enjoyed the relaxing sensation. Once again, her thoughts drifted away. Lindsay knew Danny wouldn't mind if she stayed at his place for the next weeks or months. Or even longer. She had to admit it felt good to have a roommate, especially when this roommate was him. And so she couldn't help but smile happily at this thought.

* * *

There had been a time when Danny had enjoyed being a bachelor with all the benefits of it. He wanted to have his fun, he wanted to decide who he wanted to meet, when and where and for how long. He had had his own apartment and loved to be independent.

Things had changed when Lindsay had told him that she was pregnant. Even though they had agreed to stay friends, it hadn't been up for debate that they would raise their child together. Suddenly, he hadn't been the independent bachelor anymore. He was a father and even though they weren't together, he felt responsible for his child's mother as well.

Now the three of them were living together. He loved the idea of that. Danny believed that he had no problem with the fact that he and Lindsay had agreed to be friends, but more than once, he had caught himself by disliking the thought of her being together with another man. Or even worse, her sharing a place with him. Now this was not a problem anymore and he was determined to convince her that the three of them made perfect roommates.

With a sigh, he glared at the heap of laundry which he had quickly hidden under a blanket the evening before. Now that the two of them had moved in and he was sharing his bedroom with Lindsay, Danny had to make sure his place was clean. He didn't expect that she would wash his clothes. He could imagine that this mountain of dirty clothes and underwear wouldn't be a nice sight for her. He better got it into the washing machine before she found it.

But how was he supposed to do that? Danny bit his bottom lip. Lindsay was still in the shower. He knew now was the chance to smuggle his laundry into washing machine without her noticing how much it actually was, but the machine was in the bathroom.

Running a hand through his short hair, he debated what to do. Should he just go in there? He didn't know if she would appreciate that. Then again they were living together now and only had one bathroom. But this didn't mean he could run inside it while she was showering.

He glanced back at the heap of laundry, sighing. Lindsay wouldn't be happy to see this either. She was someone who wanted her place to be clean, not look like his closet vomited all his clothes onto the floor. Danny couldn't help but grin as he realise what was actually happening; she had just moved in the day before and already had caused so many changes. It was the effect she always had on him and it was a very welcome one.

"But if I'm quick, she might not even notice me," Danny said to himself. He could just go inside quickly, put the laundry into the washing machine and hurry back outside again. He nodded, satisfied with himself. This was what he would do. Quickly, he got up and grabbed the armful of clothes and underwear. Quietly, he made his way to the bathroom. He opened the door carefully, throwing a quick glance over to the shower stall.

He regretted his decision the moment he had done that. Lindsay was still showering; there was nothing unusual with that. Danny had forgotten though that even when it got wet, the plastic shower stall was still see-through enough so he could make out her naked silhouette. He gulped. A very delicious silhouette he had to admit. But then again he knew that already anyway.

Before he could debate whether to change his mind about doing the laundry or not, the shower stall was opened and Lindsay gave him a surprised look. Danny forced himself not to stare at the bits of her naked, wet body which he could spot through the small slit.

"Do you need anything?" she asked him.

"Uh...just need to get some clothes into the washing machine actually," he answered, cursing himself for the unsure sound of his voice. "I know, I should have waited until you're done in here, but...I just wanted it to get in there already. So...it's all done later and we can right go out for whatever we'll do."

"Oh, sure, go ahead." Lindsay smiled at him. She closed the shower stall again and stepped back under the shower spray.

"Okay." Danny shook his head at himself. Of course he should have expected she wouldn't mind. She was already so grateful that he had offered her to move in with him and even had given her a job. She wouldn't get all bossy at him. Apart from that, Lindsay firmly believed he wasn't attracted to her, despite the fact that they had shared this one night with each other so many years ago. There had been a reason why he had slept with her though; he hadn't been drunk or anything else that could have made him do it without actually wanting it. Ever since then, he felt an attraction towards her. A lot of attraction. She was a beautiful woman. And she was incredibly sexy, although she didn't seem to know about that. She wasn't aware of his attraction though and so she didn't seem to mind that he joined her in the bathroom while the shower stall was just hiding the details.

Swallowing hard once again, he made his way over to the washing machine. Quickly, he filled it and started it. But just as he got up again, Danny dared to throw another curious glance towards the shower. Lindsay was still busy with washing herself and despite his best intentions, he couldn't help but stand and stare.

In awe, he watched how she moved under the shower spray, turned around under it and ran her hands over her body to wash the soap away. He shivered lightly as he took everything in, trying to save it in some dark, deep corner of his mind. He knew he wasn't supposed to do that; he shouldn't stand and stare at her like this, especially as they had an agreement. But his instincts were stronger than his rational mind and the erotic scene in front of him had an arousing effect which almost shocked him.

He almost jumped as the shower stall was opened again. This time, one of her delicate hands came out. "Now that you're still here, can you maybe give me a towel?" she asked.

"Sure." Almost hectically, Danny reached for a towel, hoping dearly that Lindsay hadn't caught him staring. "I'll...prepare breakfast already, okay?" he stammered as he handed it to her, desperately trying not to peek through the slit of the shower. He cursed himself; how was it possible that she affected him so much all of the sudden? And why did he even allowed that to happen?

"Sounds fantastic." Lindsay gave him another smile. Danny smiled back before he hurried out of the bathroom. Next time he would make sure to think of the laundry and do it when she was not showering.

Still affected, he made his way into the living room and stopped in his tracks at the sight in front of him.

"Morning, Daddy," Lucy greeted her father with a broad smile.

"Hey," he greeted back, raising an eyebrow in surprise as he let his eyes wander over the dining table. What had been an empty table before was now covered with a dark red tablecloth. She had placed three of his best plates, two wine glasses and one other glass, his best silverware and almost the entire content of his refrigerator on top of it. Apart from that, she had placed a couple of long candles in the middle which she luckily hadn't tried to light yet.

"What are you doing, Luce?" Danny asked his daughter in confusion.

Lucy grinned. "I thought maybe we could have a special breakfast. You know, a really...romantic one." Lucy winked at him and he sighed. He had instantly understood what she had in mind; this wasn't supposed to be a 'special family breakfast'. It was yet another attempt to push her parents into a certain direction. Although Danny had already gotten the impression that if he kept on acting like earlier, he and Lindsay probably wouldn't even need the matchmaking.

"I'll sit here," Lucy explained, pointing at the head of the table. "And you and Mommy will sit here and here. Across of each other, like when people go out. Do you like it?"

Danny couldn't help but smile at his daughter's excitement. She seemed to have invested a lot of thinking into her little idea and her intention behind it was sweet as well. "It's very beautiful," he answered, debating whether to take everything down or at least let the plates and silverware stay. He sighed. "Alright, you can leave it like that. Just take the glasses down and replace them with cups, okay? And put some of the food back into the fridge. Only leave what we'll actually eat."

Lucy nodded eagerly. "Will do. And what about the candles?"

"You better let Daddy take care of them," Lindsay said before Danny could think of an answer. He turned around to her and his eyes widened as he found her only wrapped into the towel which he had given to her earlier. She was smiling at him.

"Isn't that just the perfect way to start the day?" she asked. "A nice long shower and then our daughter surprises us with such a lovely breakfast. Perfect."

"Yeah, definitely perfect," he answered, not sure what exactly he was referring to.

Her smile widened. "Alright, I'll quickly get dressed. The shower is all yours now."

Danny only nodded in response. He watched how Lindsay headed into the bedroom. Then he almost ran back into the bathroom. He really needed a shower now. But despite these unexpected surprises, he had to admit that he knew it for a fact; his decision to offer his little family to move in with him had been the best decision he could have made.


	5. A Trip To The Zoo

**A/N: I'm very inspired for this fic, especially thanks to webdlfan and Dine89, so I'm updating this a bit faster than usually. Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing this fic! Thanks to madmush for betaing! Special thanks to MesserFamilyFan100, Dine89, rapidtetv, webdlfan, afrozenheart412 and rhymenocerous!**

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****Chapter 5: A Trip To The Zoo**

Lindsay had been unsure at first when she had decided to move in with Danny. She knew he wouldn't mind and that he would also never ask her to move out again. At first, she had feared he just wanted to be friendly and supportive. Now she had the feeling he was in fact happy they were there, and she couldn't help but realise that her decision had been the best for all of them.

The two of them had agreed to be friends. But there were moments in which Lindsay wondered if there wasn't sometimes something else between her and Danny. Many people had already told her that they found it strange how two friends who had a child together could have such a strong connection and that they could be that close. Her mother seemed to be convinced by that the most. Many times, the three of them had visited the Monroe's in Montana already and every time Lindsay had noticed the looks her mother had given them. She was convinced that they just needed to wake up finally.

But still Lindsay was unsure. They had agreed to be friends and neither of them seemed to have a problem with that. They got along perfectly. There had been moments of jealousy, but those didn't necessarily have to be caused by feelings for each other. Their friendship meant everything and neither of them wanted to ruin it because of some confusing situations and feelings. Apart from that, Lindsay didn't believe that Danny was attracted to her in a sexual way. He didn't hold back with his compliments, but then again, so she believed, he was a friendly and polite man.

Lucy had her own opinion of course. Lindsay didn't have a doubt that the breakfast which Lucy assumed was supposed to be romantic had been yet another attempt at arranging something for her parents. Lindsay could understand her daughter's behaviour of course; every child would wish their parents to be together. They were close, they spent a lot of time together and to Lucy, it didn't make sense that she and Danny weren't married yet. They had tried to explain to her that they were just very good friends, but either Lucy didn't understand that or she didn't want to.

She didn't mind though either. Sitting at the dining table with the now reduced amount of food, Lindsay felt happy. It had been a long while since she had felt happy like this for the last time. Her relationship with Alan had been everything but nice. It had started great and the moment he had gotten what he wanted and made her dependent upon him, he had shown his real face. With him, breakfast had always felt uncomfortable. He had usually been busy with his newspaper, occasionally talking to her. Lucy had been ignored completely and it had clearly shown in her mood. So most mornings had been spent with Lindsay talking to Lucy while Alan had minded his own business, clearly making sure they knew he didn't like the situation.

Now she was facing a whole new situation. Lucy was chatting away ever since they had joined her at the dining table and in amusement and happiness, Lindsay watched her daughter interact with Danny.

"So what will we do today?" Lucy asked, taking a huge bite of her toast. "You both don't have to work, right?"

"Lucy, don't speak when there's food in your mouth," Danny told her, shaking his head at his daughter. "That's not polite and its gross as well."

Lucy hurried to swallow her food and smiled. "Done. Now what will we do today?"

"I don't know." Danny shrugged his shoulders. "How about you suggest something?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "Hm...maybe we could go to the zoo? We haven't been at the zoo for ages. You know, I really wanna see the tigers again! I know, I know, we went to the zoo just two days ago, but come on, you can never see enough tigers!"

Danny smiled at Lucy's excitement. "Why don't you ask your Mommy? But beware, she's thinking of something obviously."

This statement made Lindsay snap out of her thoughts and she couldn't help but blush lightly. She had been daydreaming and she didn't like to be caught while doing that. "I think going to the zoo is a nice idea," she answered. "We could go to the zoo and have a picnic there. And later we could have some ice cream. How does that sound?"

"Fantastic!" Lucy exclaimed, jumping up from her chair with a force that caused it to fall over. She giggled. "Sorry."

"The inside voice's not working either, Lucy," Lindsay told her in a playfully warning voice.

"I'll remember next time," she whispered.

And with that, Lucy changed the topic again and went on about something that had happened at school. Once again, Lindsay couldn't concentrate. Instead she watched how her daughter talked to Danny, her small face rosy in excitement. This breakfast was yet another proof that moving in together had been a good decision.

* * *

It was getting close to midday when the little family arrived at the zoo. Lucy's excitement seemed to have increased ever since the moment she had left the apartment with Danny and Lindsay. Currently she was bouncing up and down between them, trying to tell them everything she knew about every animal they saw.

Danny couldn't help but watch his daughter in amusement. This behaviour she definitely had from Lindsay. If Lindsay was excited or nervous, she kept on rambling, talking about random facts and practically unloading all her knowledge on whoever was near her. Afterwards, she usually apologized and got a bright red face. Many times, Danny had told her that she didn't have to apologize at all; in fact he found her rambling adorable.

Zoos seemed to be Lucy's passion. They had to go to the zoo at least once a week, maybe even more often. He could still remember how Lucy had run around the apartment squealing as one of her last birthday presents had been an annual ticket for the zoo. They had bought themselves some as well as they wouldn't let their child go alone, but even though both of them could think of a lot of other nice activities, their child's excitement and happiness made those trips to the zoo enjoyable for them as well.

They had to stop at every single cage, but the tiger cage was the main attraction for Lucy. Fortunately, there was a bench across of the tiger cage and while Lucy was bouncing up and down in front of the animals, talking to them, Danny and Lindsay sat down as they knew they would stay at this cage for the next hour.

"It's fascinating how she keeps on getting all excited because of this zoo," Danny said, shaking his head in amusement. "Other girls at her age want to have Barbie dolls for their birthdays, but our daughter wants an annual ticket for the zoo."

"She loves the tigers especially," Lindsay replied. "I bet if she could adopt them, she would." She paused. "That's actually not a bad idea. You know, some zoos offer something like that."

"True. Maybe we should try to find out if this zoo does that as well," Danny answered. He glanced over to Lindsay, seeing how she was watching Lucy closely, a happy smile on her face. He had noticed this smile a lot during the day so far; a smile which he hadn't seen for way too long. He had hoped that breaking up with Alan would make her feel better, but that she would feel so good he hadn't expected. It was a nice surprise.

"It feels good that you made this decision, doesn't it?" he wanted to know.

Lindsay looked at him, raising her eyebrows lightly. "What exactly do you mean?"

"I mean what you decided yesterday," Danny explained. "That you decided Alan's not worth your time anymore and that you shouldn't stay at his place any longer."

"Oh, yes." Lindsay nodded in agreement. "Yes, it was a good decision indeed. I still don't get why I even moved in with him. I shouldn't have given up my independency for such a man."

"I told you already not to blame yourself," Danny replied. "Some guys are tricky. Same with women. I mean, how many times do you hear about those persons who trick someone into marriage? You believed him, there's nothing wrong with that."

"I could have listened to you. Or to Don. Even Lucy didn't like him," Lindsay said, sighing.

Danny watched her for a moment. He had a question but he didn't want to offend her with it. Then again he knew he could say anything to her and she would still not be mad at him. "Why exactly did you get together with him?" he decided to ask then. "Because you loved him? Or because of other reasons?"

Lindsay needed a couple of moments to think about her answer. Danny had always wondered why she had moved in with Alan and had never seen his real face.

"I wish I knew," she told him then. "I was in love with him. He was sweet to me and to Lucy as well. I thought he was finally someone who respected the fact that I have a daughter with you and that we're so close. I thought he wouldn't have a problem with it and that I could be together with him while he would accept you and her. I really believed him when he tried to tell me that he doesn't have a problem with you and that he really likes Lucy." She paused. "See...I guess most people want to be in a relationship sooner or later. They want to feel this closeness. They want to be loved by someone. I wanted that as well, and I thought I had finally found someone who not only loved me but also accepted my family." She shook her head. "I guess that's why I was so blind. I was so longing for such a man that I idealised him. I didn't see what you guys saw. I just thought you'd need to get used to him. I thought you were being overly critical because you didn't want me to have another bad relationship and I thought Lucy didn't want him to try and be her Dad. I thought if Alan showed her that this was not his intention, she'd be fine with it. I can't believe I was so naïve."

"And I want you to stop saying that, okay?" Reaching out, Danny took one of her hands into his. Her words had caused his heart to ache. He could understand why she had fallen for a man like Alan. Probably Alan had sensed her wish to have a relationship and had simply tried to play a role until she trusted in him. His aggressive behaviour then had woken her up and made her see how he really was.

"Stop saying you're stupid or naïve. That's not true," he told her firmly. "You are right. Everyone wants to have a partner who loves them. It's an instinct everyone has. This guy knew that. He felt that you wanted to be in a relationship again and he knew if he was supposed to be this man, he had to accept us. At least until you trusted in him. He never showed you his real face like he showed it to us, until that day you moved in with him. He's an ass, okay? Don't blame yourself. I mean, look at what you did. You had the courage to voice your opinion even though he was such an aggressive asshole and you broke up with him and moved out. You're a strong woman and you're not naïve. You just want someone who loves you and who accepts us. There's nothing wrong with that. And if guys aren't able to see what a wonderful woman you are, it's their problem."

To his relief, Lindsay offered a light smile. "You're sweet, you know that? Thank you."

"You know I mean it," Danny answered. "I can understand that some people have a problem with being together with us because they fear we could start something behind their backs. I got tired of it which is why I didn't have anyone anymore after Cindy. She was kinda like Alan. She also pretended to be nice all the time until I believed her and then she turned into this bitch. I think it's only natural to look for a partner and believe them at first. I mean, how's a relationship supposed to work when we keep on questioning our partners' motives all the time? But I guess we have to accept that for us, it's not that easy to find someone who accepts us the way we are."

Lindsay nodded, sighing. "Yes, seems like that's true. Guess what? I think I have enough of it as well. Yes, it'd be nice to feel all this closeness and to have someone who loves you." She smirked softly. "I guess now is the time when you have to say that having sex is something that'd be nice as well."

Danny chuckled. "Well, that's what you said now."

She grinned. "Anyway, as nice as it'd be to have such a partner, the stress it causes is not worth it at the moment. I guess I'll also just focus on our little family and on my new job."

Danny nodded. "If that's what you want, you should do it." He hesitated for a second before he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Guess what? I think even if we don't have sex, we still can enjoy some closeness. We might just be friends, but you know how close we are. We can give each other a lot of what we'd get in a relationship." He smiled lightly as she leaned into him. "You know I'm always here when you need to talk or when you just need a hug."

"I know. And I hope you know I'm always here for you as well," Lindsay replied. "Oh great, guess what I just remembered? There's still a lot of my stuff in Alan's apartment."

"We'll pick it up together with Don," he suggested. "Then he can yell and jump around as much as he wants. It's his own fault. We can do that later today if you want. After having ice cream, Lucy could visit my parents and we could use the time to get the rest of your stuff to my place."

She chuckled. "You always have a solution for every problem, huh?"

He grinned. "Well, my ideas are the best."

"They are, definitely," she agreed.

Danny and Lindsay stayed on the bench for another half an hour until Lucy agreed to visit another animal. Both of them were longing for closeness but both of them also had realised that finding this in a relationship wasn't easy. Neither of them knew that there were also other reasons why those relationships weren't a good option for them.


	6. A Fresh Start

**A/N: Hey! Here is a new chapter again. Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing this fic and also to everyone who added it! Thanks to the sweet madmush for betaing! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, webdlfan and Dine89!**

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Chapter 6: A Fresh Start**

Danny and Lindsay had taken Lucy to her grandparents so they would have enough time to head over to Alan's apartment. Don had agreed to meet them there; to offer a helping hand but even more as a supporter. Alan wouldn't be pleased to see them and a person who wasn't directly involved might be helpful.

Since they had left his parents' house, Danny could feel Lindsay's nervousness increasing. He could understand her. If he was in her situation, he wouldn't want to meet Alan again either. He was too unpredictable. Neither of them knew what this man would do next. Would he simply allow them to pick up the rest of hers and Lucy's stuff? Or would he argue with her? Would he be aggressive again or try to convince her that she should come back to him?

"It'll be fine, don't worry," he said, throwing a short glance at her before he focused back on traffic.

She sighed. "I know. I'm not even alone with him this time. I just wish I didn't have to see him again. I don't want to hear all this crap he will yell at me. He will surely accuse me of cheating on him again and that he's known it all the time."

"So what?" Danny shrugged. "Do you really care for his opinion? He was convinced that you were cheating on him all the time anyway. He's a psycho. If someone should feel bad, it's him. And don't worry, if it gets too much, you'll just tell Don and me what's yours and we'll pack the stuff by ourselves. You can wait in the car."

Once again, Danny glanced at her, noticing that Lindsay was watching him with a tiny, grateful smile. "I know you won't listen to me when I tell you that you don't have to do that for me," Lindsay answered then. "But I hope you know how glad I am that you're doing this for me. That you help me to get my stuff back and that you're listening to me. You're such a good person."

He smiled back at her. "You don't have to thank me. Anytime. You know, I'd do anything for you."

He decided to not add more to his statement. There was definitely more to say, because lately he had discovered that she meant more to him than he had been aware of so far. He was confused by these feelings and not planning on revealing them to her until he knew what they were about.

"I hope I won't have to talk to him again after this," she replied. "I can fully understand why you don't feel like dating. I'm not interested in that either at the moment. It's so complicated. I mean, if someone really has feelings for you, they should trust in you and try to accept your family, not be rude to people around you and accuse you of having an affair. All the guys I've been together with so far have acted like that. Except you."

"The women aren't any better, believe me," Danny answered, cringing as he remembered his relationship with Cindy. "Cindy wasn't any different. She was so jealous. She tried to badmouth you all the time. She even tried to make Lucy look like the worst child ever."

"Yeah, I remember that." Lindsay sighed. "But I won't let that bother me anymore. I want to relax now. I mean, what's better than spending time with you and Lucy?"

"My words exactly," he agreed. Even though he wanted Lindsay to have a good working relationship, Danny had to admit that he was glad she wasn't interested in dating at the moment. The men she had met hadn't made her happy and he had always been glad when she had realised it sooner or later. Alan had definitely been the worst though and he dearly hoped that if she found another man again, he would be different. It would be even if she chose him. But as Danny's thoughts reached this point, he quickly pushed them aside again. He and Lindsay had an agreement. Those thoughts were not an option. At least not at the moment.

Like promised, Don was already waiting for them in front of Alan's apartment building, greeting them with a smile. Danny couldn't help but sigh inwardly as his best friend's smile changed into a grin at the sight of him and Lindsay together. He knew the opinion Don had regarding them. An opinion that was very similar to Lucy's.

"You guys are ready for some ass kicking?" Don asked.

Lindsay chuckled. "Be glad Lucy's not around or we'd have to wash your mouth with soap."

Don cringed playfully. "Honestly, knowing your daughter, she'd even do that for real with me. Just like she tried to colour my hair with paint when she was younger. Wasn't too cool to run around with red, blue and green striped hair for a while."

"She was five back then and we told you to use pens instead of paint," Danny told his friend, suppressing a laughter as he remembered the reaction of his best friend at his lovingly decorated hair.

They followed Lindsay over to the entrance door of the large building. "You know, if I was you, I'd not try to start a fight with that asshole," Don whispered into Danny's ear. "I know you wanna beat the crap out of him for slapping her and for the way he treated her and your daughter. But I guess what she really needs is us to get her stuff out of this apartment and back to your place as quickly as possible. Keep in mind, the guy is an ass, we all know that. She's not together with him anymore. It doesn't matter, he's not worth it. Don't allow him to provoke you."

"I know, I won't let him provoke me," Danny replied. He knew Don was right. Lindsay had moved in with him the day before and already during this one day she was already smiling a lot more and seemed to be able to be happy again. They would get her belongings out of Alan's apartment and would try their best to ignore whatever he would do to annoy or provoke them.

Together they made their way upstairs. In front of the door, Lindsay hesitated for a moment, playing with her keys.

"Do you think it's okay to just go in there?" she wanted to know.

"Why not?" Danny asked back. "You still have the key and half of your stuff is in there. You have the right to get it back. After that, he can shove his key up his..." He censored himself. "Well, you know. Let's just get in there. The faster we're in, the faster we're out."

"My words exactly," Don answered. Taking the keys from Lindsay, he simply unlocked the door without further hesitation.

Still carefully, Lindsay followed them into the apartment. They had barely made their way through the hallway, when Alan appeared in the living room. His first surprised expression was quickly replaced by an angry, close to hateful one.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he yelled at them, narrowing his eyes at his ex-girlfriend. "And what do you need those idiots for? You too shy to come in here by yourself?"

Seeing Alan and listening to him immediately caused Danny's own anger to rise. He could feel the warning look Don was giving him. He knew they were only there as support, not to tell Alan off. Yet it was difficult for Danny, especially as he knew how the man in front of him had treated Lindsay and Lucy.

"I think by now you should know I'm not too shy to step up against you," Lindsay answered, surprising Danny that despite her former nervousness, she sounded so determined again now. "I'm here because I want my stuff back and Lucy's as well. I doubt you have any use for any of it because I don't think you'll play with her toys or wear my clothes. As there is quite a lot of stuff, Danny and Don offered to help me move it. I don't think you'll mind. The more helping hands, the faster I'm out of here."

Danny noticed how Alan threw a hateful glance at him before he looked back at Lindsay. In disgust, he saw how the man put his mask on again, managing to offer an overly sweet smile. "Are you sure you want that?" he asked. "I mean...I can understand you're mad at me. I've been an ass. But come on, we had good times as well. I could be like that again. We could be like that again."

"There's no 'we'. Don't even try that," Lindsay replied, narrowing her eyes at her ex-boyfriend.

Alan's eyes darkened again. "Why? Because I was right all the time and you're in fact..."

"I wouldn't finish this sentence," Danny interrupted, not able to stay quiet any longer as he knew what was coming next. "You might believe you're something better with your fine suits and like to look down at people like us, but I doubt you want to provoke me and Don and make more problems. Get out of the way, let us get the stuff and shut up."

Alan opened his mouth to reply, his eyes sparkling dangerously, but Don was faster. "She said she's not interested. What's there to discuss? We know what you did yesterday and if I was you, I'd get out of the way." With that he closed the distance between himself and Alan who, although he was tall himself, was still shorter than Don. The gesture had the wished effect; Alan stayed quiet and with another glare returned into the living room.

Without exchanging a word or bothering to pay any attention to the man on the couch, Danny, Lindsay and Don collected everything that wasn't supposed to stay in this apartment. An hour later, Danny and Lindsay were sitting in their car again, on their way back to their own place. Although she had shown Alan she wasn't scared of him, Danny had sensed the tension Lindsay felt all the time while they had been at the large apartment. Now the tension seemed to disappear more and more with every passing moment and he could feel how he was feeling more relieved himself.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asked anyway.

She nodded. "Much better. Now I can stop thinking of him, and focus on you guys." As he glanced at her briefly, he saw that she was smiling. "Do you have an idea how good it feels? I have a new place and am living together with you and our daughter. Lucy can be together with us at one apartment all day long. I have a wonderful job. It's perfect."

"It is absolutely perfect," he agreed.

And once again, Danny realised how glad he was that Lindsay had agreed to move in with him. He was happy to share an apartment with her and their daughter, and seeing how happy this made her was a wonderful bonus.

* * *

Sitting on the bed, Lindsay couldn't help but smile as she took in hers and Danny's bedroom. He had almost forced her to accept it; this was their apartment now. It was her home as much as it was his, and she had to admit she loved that. The apartment was big enough for them all. It was warm and cosy and now next to his belongings, there was also a lot of her stuff to be found.

She had been nervous earlier when they had headed to Alan's apartment. She had wondered how her ex-boyfriend would react. Lindsay agreed with Danny that Alan's opinion didn't matter at all, but she had worried that Alan would provoke a fight. She knew how good this man was at manipulating people. Fortunately he hadn't been successful.

Now she wouldn't be bothered by Alan anymore and it was a relief. Still smiling, Lindsay got up and headed into the living room. Her smile widened as Danny gazed up at her from his location on the couch where he was lying lazily.

"Looks comfortable," she said with a wink.

"You could join me," he answered, winking back. He made an inviting gesture. "Come over."

Lindsay raised her eyebrows, a smirk tearing at the corners of her mouth. "Are you trying to trick me into anything?"

Danny laughed. "Nah, you should know me by now. Come over. I thought we agreed friends can still enjoy some closeness. I'm not planning on ignoring our agreement."

Lindsay laughed as well. "That sounds as if we signed a contract." She made her way over to the couch and climbed onto it as well. With a comfortable sigh, she lay down next to him and rested her head on his chest. She enjoyed the warmth that instantly started to fill her as his arms wrapped around her.

"I'm glad Lucy can't see us like this," she said, chuckling. "I bet she'd believe Mommy and Daddy would be getting married now."

"Well, she believes that anyway because you moved in here," he replied. "It's understandable I guess. Every child wants their parents to get married." Gently, he ran his hand up and down her back. Lindsay shivered lightly at the feeling. Almost instinctively, she closed her eyes so she could simply focus on the much needed closeness.

"Are you feeling better now?" Danny asked again after a while.

"Much better," Lindsay answered. "I know I was hesitant at first, but now I believe I should've broken up with this idiot much earlier." She sighed again. "Who needs a relationship like that? It's so much better the way it's now."

He nodded. As he stayed quiet, Lindsay knew Danny had more to say and so she waited until he would continue. "Did you ever regret that you came to New York?" he asked then. "I mean, I know one reason was because you wanted a fresh start, but you didn't really do what you originally planned to do."

"I don't regret it at all," she answered without hesitation. "Really, I don't. I know things didn't turn out the way I planned them, but I got so much more instead. I have you. I have Lucy. I can work together with you and Don now. It's great. I'm happy with that, and I think that's all that matters, right?"

"Sure," he answered, but she could feel he didn't completely believe her. She knew they would have this conversation again sooner or later.

"You know, we should pick Lucy up soon," Lindsay said then, trying to change the topic.

"Oh yeah," Danny answered. "And then my Ma will talk us into staying there and have dinner with them. We'll agree of course because of how polite and nice we are and then she'll give us those knowing smiles all the time."

Lindsay laughed at his description. "She's your Ma. She wants us to be a traditional family."

"Yeah, but she drives me crazy sometimes," Danny said, laughing himself. "Ah well, she loves us so much. We should just fulfil her wish and have dinner with them. I hope she cooked something nice."

"Everything your Ma cooks is nice," she replied. "And as you love food, you'll love it anyway."

"Hey, why do I have the feeling you're try to tease me here?" he asked back.

"I have really no idea why you're thinking that," she answered, laughing even more.

Danny and Lindsay stayed on their couch for another couple of minutes before they got up to visit Lucy and her grandparents. Both of them had enjoyed the moment of closeness and bantering. Both of them also knew that something was changing between them, but so far neither of them was planning on analysing that.


	7. Good Advice

**A/N: Like always thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I'm happy to see that you guys are reading the fic! Huge thanks to madmush for betaing! Special thanks to webdlfan, MesserFamilyFan100, Lindsay1234, Dine89, rhymenocerous, afrozenheart412 and rapidtetv!**

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Chapter 7: Good Advice**

When Lindsay had decided to move to New York, she had seen it as a fresh start. Events from her past had been bothering her, even after so many years, and she had hoped that a new city would be a chance to leave the past behind.

But like Danny had mentioned, she had had other plans as well. As a studied journalist, she had hoped to get the big chance of writing for one of the well known newspapers or magazines in New York City. Working for her Uncle Freddie's small magazine had been supposed to be the first step into the right direction. But those plans hadn't worked out when she had unexpectedly gotten pregnant. Suddenly, there was this little person she had to focus on and her career took a back seat.

Lindsay could imagine why Danny believed she might have changed her mind about her decision, but she didn't regret moving to New York at all. Things might not have always been easy. After Freddie had decided to sell his magazine and move back to Montana, Lindsay had to apply for jobs again, but no newspaper wanted to employ the young single mother. So she had to start looking for other jobs to pay her rent and everything else.

This situation had been complicated and so different to what Lindsay had planned. But with Danny's help and support and with a lot of patience and determination, she managed to handle it. It might have been a rocky path occasionally, but it had made her stronger as well. Now Lindsay was sharing an apartment with Danny and they had their daughter. She would work for him at the diner and even though she still would love to work for one of the big newspapers, this new job was getting her excited as well. Things were perfect and she was happy with that.

"It's great to see you like that again," Danny said suddenly, causing her to snap out of her thoughts. They were on their way to his parents' house and she had used the time to let her thoughts drift away for a moment.

"What do you mean?" Lindsay wanted to know.

He smiled. "It's great to see you happy again. I was getting worried. You've been so serious, even quiet. Sometimes it almost felt as if you were avoiding me as well."

Lindsay could feel her cheeks reddening at his words. "I didn't mean to avoid you," she told him. "I just was scared I would provoke Alan with spending too much time with you. I know it was stupid."

"Don't keep saying that," Danny replied, shaking his head at her. "It wasn't stupid. I know you wanted to make the relationship work. It's not your fault it didn't. You tried your best. And now Alan's not your problem anymore. Just relax. You'd better start relaxing already because if my Ma notices something is bothering you, she'll either question you until you'll confess everything or she'll feed you until your stomach hurts."

Lindsay laughed. "I know why I love your Ma so much."

Right after moving to New York, she had felt homesick. As a family person, it hadn't been easy to be so far away from the family. Very soon after meeting Danny, Lindsay had also met his family for the first time. It had felt as if his mother had immediately adopted her. Of course Lindsay knew that Sofia Messer wanted nothing else than her and Danny finally getting married. Whenever they met the family, they were always asked when the wedding was going to happen. Lindsay knew the family members had understood how their relationship worked. They were stubborn though and wouldn't accept it.

But Lindsay didn't mind their attempts at making them a real family. She was accepted by all Danny's family members. She loved big his family meetings with all grandparents, aunts and uncles around.

When they arrived at the beautiful house in a quiet street on Staten Island, Lucy was already waiting for her parents. Standing next to her grandmother, she jumped up and down as she watched the car being parked in front of the house.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she screamed.

"I doubt it makes sense to bring the inside voice up again, right?" Lindsay asked with a playful sigh.

Danny chuckled. "Especially as she'll tell us that she's not even inside. Which is kinda true."

Lindsay laughed as well. Lucy had a lot in common with them. She was just as stubborn as Danny, and she had her mother's talent of commenting back with a sneaky reply. How an eight year old could come up with some of those replies she didn't know, but she knew for sure that this attribute would be helpful when she was older.

"Mommy, Daddy, guess what?" Lucy asked, with in excitement reddened cheeks. "Nonna and I cooked! And I really helped! So actually I cooked what we'll eat for dinner."

Danny gave her a faked scared look. "What? Now that makes me nervous. I'm not sure I'll eat that."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You're rude, Daddy." She grabbed her father's hand firmly. "Come on, I'll show you how good it is. You know, I could immediately start working at the diner." With that, she pulled Danny into the house, not giving him a chance to disagree.

Sofia sighed. "And that's what I get? Not even a 'hello' from my own son?" She turned to Lindsay with a broad, warm smile. "But at least you have good manners, my dear." And before Lindsay could react, she was embraced tightly and kissed on both her cheeks.

"You know, he can't say 'no' to her at all," Lindsay replied with a wink as she followed Sofia into the house. "She has him wrapped around her finger."

"Just like you," Sofia answered, winking back. As Lindsay raised her eyebrows, she sighed again. "Come on, my dear. How long do you two want to continue playing this game? Everyone knows what's going on."

"Sofia, I know you'd love us to marry, buy a house and have a whole soccer team of kids," Lindsay said, smiling as Sofia nodded her head. "But we're just friends."

"Then why did you move in with him now?" Sofia wanted to know.

"Because I broke up with my former boyfriend and because he offered that Lucy and I could move in with him," Lindsay explained. To prevent Sofia from asking, she added, "And he offered me a job because it's not easy to find one when you have a child and aren't married to her father. Plus the diner always needs a helping hand."

Sofia only smiled in response. "You can try to convince me as much as you want, sweetie. I won't believe either of you. And sooner or later, you'll understand that I'm right."

Lindsay didn't reply to that. She knew Sofia was convinced by her opinion and wouldn't change it. She wanted her and Danny to get married. She wanted them to be a traditional family. And not for the first time, she couldn't help but think that sooner or later, Sofia would get what she was wishing for.

* * *

His family meant everything to Danny. Lindsay and Lucy counted as his family as well and he was glad that his family members had accepted them without hesitation. It was important for him to know that there were all these people who were related to him and who he could turn to whenever he needed someone to talk to. Such a supporter he had in his mother especially.

Danny knew that a lot of his family members didn't understand that he and Lindsay had agreed to stay friends. They had completely accepted her as one of them. But it didn't make sense to them that the two of them had a daughter, had such a close relationship and still were convinced they were only just friends.

So almost every time when the family got together, he had to listen to the same old question over and over again. When would they finally admit it? He was getting tired of explaining over and over again that they had agreed to be just friends. He was getting tired of the knowing glances he received in response; no one believed him. His family was stubborn, just like him.

But although all family members seemed to have the wish that they would get together finally, his mother was pushing them the most. And as he was helping her to finish dinner while Lindsay and Lucy were setting the table next door, Danny could feel his mother was constantly staring at him.

"Ma, would you please stop that finally?" he sighed after a while.

Sofia gave her son an innocent look. "Stop what?"

"Stop staring at me like that," he answered. "That's rude. I hate it when you're doing that."

Sofia chuckled. "Am I not allowed to look at my own son?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Not with that look."

"Which look?" she smirked at him, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

He sighed. "Come on, let's not play this game again. Stop giving me your 'I know you better anyway' look. I've explained this to you over and over again."

Sofia shrugged. "Well, Danny, I'm still not convinced. To me, you and Lindsay are already together. I mean, now you're even sharing the same apartment."

"Oh Ma." Danny groaned, shaking his head in annoyance. "You love getting on my nerves with that, right? We're not together. She broke up with her former boyfriend and because she didn't have an apartment, she moved in with me. And because she didn't have a job anymore either, I offered her a job at the diner. The diner always needs help and I know how hard it is to find a job out there, especially when you're a woman and have a child. I didn't want her to work three different jobs again just to pay for a tiny apartment and then she probably would even have jobs she'd hate."

"I see," Sofia answered. "So I guess she'll move out again after a while?"

"No, I told her to just stay there," Danny answered, trying to ignore how his mother gave him her knowing smile again. "And I offered that because it's perfect. Lucy can see the both of us every day. We met every day anyway, but it's a lot easier now."

"Where does she sleep though?" Sofia wanted to know. "You only have Lucy's bedroom; there's no other spare room."

Danny cursed himself as he felt how his cheeks turned red. She had caught him once again. "It doesn't matter where she's sleeping."

"Oh!" He wasn't surprised that Sofia had already understood even though he hadn't admitted anything. "As I doubt you'd let her sleep on your living room couch...you're sharing a bed? And you still want to tell me you're not together? Are you kidding me?"

"Ma!" Danny could feel frustration rising again. "Stop it finally. Yeah, we're sharing my bed and no, we're not doing anything in there if that's what you believe. And before you ask me; no, I'm not planning on dating anyone in the near future and she doesn't want that either. We want to focus on our daughter and the diner. That's all."

Sofia shook her head, sighing deeply. "I don't get you, son. What's your problem to just admit it? I mean, what exactly do you want anyway? She's a wonderful woman. She is beautiful, she is sexy, she has a good heart, she is loyal, friendly, open minded, funny, trustworthy, she is always there when you need her and she is a great mother."

"And she's not interested in me," Danny added. "She just sees me as a friend."

"Oh, but you don't see her just as a friend?" Sofia asked, winking. "You only talked about her."

"Oh Ma," Danny sighed, cursing himself because he didn't know what to reply. In fact saying he wasn't interested in her was a big lie and he knew his mother was aware of that and would know it the second he would have spoken it out.

"I don't believe you're not interested in each other," Sofia said then. "I mean, Lucy is the proof that the two of you are attracted to each other."

"It was just a one night stand," Danny answered, cringing. "You ever heard of that? I don't want to discuss that with you now though."

Sofia rolled her eyes. "Young people and their one night stands. Back then when I was in your age, there was rarely something like that done. People got married and then they slept with each other. They didn't just have meaningless sex."

"It wasn't meaningless," Danny replied, knowing he would have to go through this conversation even if it made him feel uncomfortable.

"No? It wasn't?" Sofia asked.

"Ma, please, I don't want to have a conversation like this with my mother," he told her. "It was wonderful with her. And yeah, I'll admit it was way better than anything else I experienced with a woman before. But we're friends. We agreed to stay friends because this friendship is too important to us to be ruined."

"But who says things between you would be ruined if you were together?" Sofia wanted to know. "Don't you think that pretending to be friends when there is definitely more between the two of you adds more pressure to your connection than just admitting your feelings? Why don't you just tell her how you're really thinking about her? And don't start to argue with me, son. The way you just talked about her, the way you look at her and act around her...I know that you have feelings for her. You're just trying to suppress them because you don't want to ruin your friendship. The two of you have a daughter! It's not a normal friendship anyway."

Danny sighed again. "Even if I had such feelings for her, she doesn't have them for me."

"How do you want to know that?" Sofia asked back. "You can't know it because I doubt she knows that you might have feelings for her." She emphasized the word 'might' in a way that once again made him roll his eyes.

Stepping over to the kitchen door, Danny glanced into the room next door where Lindsay and Lucy were admiring the table which they had just set together. He couldn't help the smile that lit his face. When he turned back to his mother, he could see the familiar knowing expression again.

"I won't just ask her," he said then. "Who knows, maybe you guys are right. Maybe there's indeed more between her and me. I don't know. But I know that we've been friends for so long now. It takes time to figure out if there's also something else or not."

"I'm not saying you should rush things," Sofia answered. "Just think about it. Try to figure out what you're really feeling for her. Then when you know it and realise I'm right, start dropping little hints and see how she'll react. It's better to admit your feelings and give a relationship a try than ignoring those feelings and pretending to be just friends."

Danny nodded. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he knew his mother was right. It was possible that he and Lindsay really had stronger feelings than they were showing to each other. And as he kept on watching her and their daughter, he decided that maybe it was worth listening to his mother this time.


	8. We Agree That We're Disagreeing

**A/N: Huge thanks to you guys for reading and reviewing! Big thanks also to the lovely madmush for betaing! Special thanks to webdlfan, MesserFamilyFan100, afrozenheart412 and Dine89!**

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Chapter 8: We Agree That We're Disagreeing**

It was early and the sun was rising as Danny and Lindsay were on their way to take Lucy to school. It was supposed to be another beautiful, warm day in early summer. Soon, the days would get so hot again that people wished winter was back, but for now, the temperatures were still fine.

Yawning lightly, Lindsay tried to make herself comfortable in her seat. She was still tired after spending last night looking over the menu and price lists of Danny's diner. He had rolled his eyes at her and almost forced her to go to bed, telling her that she didn't have to know it all already, but she had been stubborn and ignored him.

During the last couple of years, she had had various jobs. Working at the diner would definitely be one of the nicest and she wanted to be prepared. Even if her two bosses were her best friends, she wanted to please them. She wanted to help, not to make things even more complicated for them.

"I told you not to read the menu as if you're studying for an exam," Danny told her amused.

Lindsay sighed. "Is it wrong that I want to be prepared for my new job?"

He laughed. "Hey, you do know you'll be working for Don and me? Do you seriously think we'll be looking at you closely all the time and kick your ass when you make a mistake?"

"Daddy said 'ass'," Lucy said from the back seat. "He has to pay ten cents for that."

Lindsay laughed as Danny rolled his eyes. "She's right. No bad words. I realised though that you are by far the one who has to pay the most money in the bad words jar. You and Don. Don't you two think you should improve your choice of words finally?"

"Yeah, last time I stayed at Uncle Don's place, he said 'fuck' and 'ass' within one sentence! He had to pay for both. I got ice cream if I didn't tell you." She paused. "Oops."

Lindsay laughed even more. "You guys won't ever change. And to answer your question, no, I'm not expecting you to watch me, but I'm grateful that you offered me this job and I want to be helpful. I don't want you to explain everything to me all the time."

"We'll probably earn double the money we're earning now because of you within the first week of you working for us," Danny answered with a wink. He parked the car in front of Lucy's school. "Alright, here we are, young lady. Behave and don't beat up the poor boys. I hope you didn't smuggle your slingshot into your bag again."

"Me? Nah, I never would," Lucy answered.

Lindsay turned around, raising her eyebrows at her daughter. "Lucy, give me the slingshot."

Groaning, Lucy fished for the item in her bag and gave it to her mother. "But why? I mean, the boys annoy us all the time. They deserve it. And Mommy, you played with a slingshot as well when you were a child."

"And that was wrong," Lindsay answered. "Now hurry or you'll be late. Have a lovely day, sweetie. I'll pick you up later."

Lucy nodded. A grin lit her face. "Now my friends surely will think you're married because you both took me to school together."

"Lucy, get out of the car finally," Danny said more firmly, trying not to laugh at his daughter's comment.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. See you later."

With that, she left the car and hurried over to a small group of girls who were waiting in front of the entrance of the school building.

"Will she ever get tired of that?" Danny asked then.

Lindsay chuckled. "Would you if you were her?"

Danny chuckled as well. "I guess not. And then there is my family, your family, Don...they are all crazy, I tell you."

"Yep, they are," Lindsay agreed. "But now let's get to the diner. I don't want to be late on my first day at work."

Grinning, Danny started the car again. Lindsay couldn't deny she was excited. It was the first time they would work together and she was looking forward to it.

* * *

Don was watching his best friend in amusement as Danny once again threw a glance out of the kitchen. He and Lindsay had arrived an hour ago. He knew she had worked as a waitress before a long time ago and he was amazed by how good she was at it.

"Didn't you say you wouldn't control her?" Don asked.

Danny looked up at his friend in confusion before he rolled his eyes. He cursed himself for blushing lightly at the fact that his friend had caught him watching Lindsay. "I'm not controlling her. I just want to make sure she enjoys it here."

"Are you kidding me?" Don asked back. "You see how she's smiling all the time? She loves this place anyway, and working here with us as her bosses? Couldn't be any better. Hey, a while ago she was together with that asshole, now she can finally be independent again, she shares an apartment with you and she has a cool job. Stop worrying so much." He winked. "Then again if you stare at her because you can't get enough of watching her, I understand that too."

Danny groaned. "Don't you dare start that again. We're friends and I won't discuss that with you now. Go back to work, you have a pizza to make."

"Of course, Sir." Don winked at him. Danny only shook his head. He knew neither his friends nor their families or Lucy wanted to annoy them. In fact he wondered if they were all seeing something him and Lindsay themselves didn't notice.

"Hey guys," Lindsay greeted as she joined them in the kitchen, waving her small notepad. "Three more of your Pizza Speciale. People seem to be totally addicted to it."

Danny smiled at her. "No problem. Is it very busy out there?"

"Well, there are no more empty chairs" she answered, smiling back at him. "But it's not too busy. I love it actually. People are so friendly. They really seem to love being here."

"And they're being so friendly because you're friendly to them as well," he replied with a wink.

Her smile widened. "I better get back in there. You know, I was hoping I'd do fine and not disappoint you guys, but I'm surprised it's actually so easy."

Danny watched how Lindsay greeted new guests who had just entered the diner. He hadn't had a doubt that she would do fantastic as a waitress.

"I really don't get you, Danny," Don interrupted him in his thoughts.

Turning back to his friend, Danny raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean now?"

"Still the same topic as before," Don answered. "I really don't get what problem you have. Or what you actually want. But maybe you don't even know that yourself."

"Could you be a bit more explicit?" Danny asked.

Don rolled his eyes. "Don't be offended, but sometimes I really think you're stupid. I mean, there is this awesome woman. She's beautiful, sexy, smart, funny, friendly, loyal, lovely and she is the mother of your child. You told me how fantastic it was that one time. Now she's living at your apartment, she's working here for us and you still don't make a move? What else do you need? A big kick into your stubborn ass?"

Danny stared at his friend for a moment before he shook his head. "To me, it seems like you don't get it. How many times am I supposed to tell you that we're just friends? We like each other a lot, we get along perfectly. I could also ask you why you don't try to make a move on her?"

Don rolled his eyes. "Because she's yours, that's why. You wanna know what I think?"

"Not really," Danny answered, trying to look busy with the pizza he was preparing, but he knew Don wasn't easy to fool or put off.

"Well, you will have to listen anyway," his best friend replied. "You know, I think the only reason why you agreed to stay friends after your one night stand is that both of you two were afraid you could ruin your friendship just in case a relationship wouldn't work out. That's the only reason. You were very good friends back then already before anything happened. Then you slept with each other, and as both of you didn't have the best experiences with relationships before then, you were both afraid that if you gave it a try, it'd ruin everything between you. It had nothing to do with you two realise there's nothing between you. There is a lot of attraction. In fact sparks are flying when the two of you are in the same room. And come on, you can't deny she's incredibly sexy. I know what you told me about her when you slept with each other. Didn't you tell me it was by far the best sex you ever had?"

"And your point is?" Danny asked back instead of answering. He hated that Don tried to analyse him but he hated even more that deep inside, he knew that his best friend was right.

"My point is that the two of you just have to stop being such cowards," Don explained. "You fit together so perfectly, you're so close. You have a daughter and everyone around you thinks you should be a couple. Everyone sees there's more between the two of you than just friendship. You just have to do it finally. I mean, after all these years, do you really think you couldn't be together? Why do you think you guys keep on picking the wrong partners and why can't those relationships work? Would it make a difference even if you made better choices? No, because deep inside, you both know that you two should be together."

Danny knew he had to reply to Don's speech, but he didn't know what to say. Don had known him for ages already and he couldn't fool his friend, no matter how hard he tried. He knew Don was right; there was in fact no reason why they shouldn't give a relationship a try, especially as their daughter wanted it so much as well.

"I don't want to talk about this now," he said then, shaking his head. "We have work to do."

Don sighed. "One day you'll admit I'm right. One day you'll wake up and realise what an idiot you've been all the time. The two of you are perfect together. I swear, if you don't get together within the next couple of months, I'll find my way to wake you up to being with Lindsay. I mean it."

Danny didn't reply to that. He tried to convince himself that for Lindsay, he was just a friend and that she was feeling the same way. But his attempts at convincing himself were working less and less.

* * *

It was afternoon as Lindsay parked her car in front of Lucy's school. Danny had allowed her to use his, but she knew sooner or later she had to buy herself an own car. It seemed like she was indeed making a whole new, fresh start. It was a good feeling though.

Her first day at the diner had been better than she had expected. People there already knew her as she had spent a lot of time at the diner. They had been happy to see her working as a waitress now and had been even friendlier than usual. Work had been fun and she had enjoyed it. She was definitely convinced that she would continue helping the two men.

A smile lit her face as she spotted Lucy among all the other children. She chuckled as Lucy jumped up and down when she saw her as well and ran over to her as quickly as possible, almost bumping into several other children.

"Mommy!" she shouted and jumped into her mother's open arms.

"Hey baby girl," Lindsay greeted her, placing a kiss into her daughter's hair. "Did you have a nice day at school?"

With a sigh, Lucy entered the car, exhausted sinking into her seat. "It was so hard, Mommy. We really had to write a lot today and really fast as well because Mrs. Hanson writes really fast and if we aren't fast enough, we don't get all the information. School is really hard work, you know."

Lindsay laughed as Lucy groaned again. "Well, now you can relax for the rest of the day. Do you have any homework?" She glanced into the rare view mirror, knowing that occasionally, Lucy tried to trick them. The child was a bad liar though; her eyes always gave her away. Lindsay found it funny how similar she was to Danny when it came to lying. He couldn't fool her either. Lucy just nodded in response.

"Mommy?" Lucy asked after a while.

"Yes, baby girl?" Lindsay asked back. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow lightly at the tone in her daughter's voice.

"I have a question, may I ask it?" she wanted to know.

Lindsay nodded. "Sure, ask ahead."

"Why aren't you and Daddy married?" Lucy wanted to know. "I mean...we are all living together now and you like each other so much. There is no stupid Alan anymore, and no stupid Cindy. You like each other much more than most of the parents of my friends like each other. Why can't you be married as well? My friends don't get it either. I mean, when you like each other so much, isn't that love?"

Lindsay cringed at the question. Lucy asked her and Danny often when they would finally get married, but such an explicit question they hadn't been confronted with yet.

"That's not so easy, sweetie," she tried to explain. "You'll understand it a lot better when you're older. Your Daddy and I really like each other a lot, but only like friends. Do you like any boys at school, Lucy?"

"Hm." Lucy thought for a moment. "I think David is quite nice. He likes to talk about science with me and he's really friendly. He also is very smart, he explains a lot to me when I don't understand something."

"So you really like him, right?" Lindsay asked.

Lucy nodded. "Yep."

"And even though you like him so much, do you think you would hold hands with him? Or give him a kiss?" Lindsay asked.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Hell no! Ew!"

Lindsay chuckled at the intense reaction. "See? Even though you like him a lot, he's not your boyfriend either. Same with me and Daddy. We like each other very much, but that's something different to being in a relationship or being married."

Lucy gave her a disbelieving look. "That's wrong, Mommy."

"And why?" Lindsay wanted to know.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Mommy, I'm not stupid, okay? I know babies don't come from the stork or anything stupid like that. You and Daddy told me that a bit ago, remember? And as all babies come from there, I do as well. You and Daddy must have kissed already, so you can't say you wouldn't do it."

Lindsay stared at her daughter in disbelief. She hadn't been prepared for such a reply at all. "But after that one time of kissing, Daddy and I decided we want to stay friends," she said.

"Didn't you like kissing him?" Lucy asked.

Lindsay blushed lightly. "Well..." she started.

"No lying!" Lucy interrupted her. "Lying is bad and when I'm not allowed to lie, you're not allowed to lie either."

Lindsay sighed. "Well, sweetie, yes, I liked kissing him, but that's not important. We agreed to stay friends."

Lucy groaned. "That so makes no sense. Adults never make sense. It's so much easier when you're a child."

"So true," Lindsay replied. To change the topic, she added, "Are you hungry already? Daddy tried the new pizza today and it's really delicious."

"Oh yay!" Lucy squealed in delight.

Lindsay smiled at her. It was so easy to change the topic when she mentioned food. This was another thing the child had in common with Danny. This conversation with Lucy had been complicated and she knew she hadn't convinced her at all. Especially as she hadn't even really convinced herself.


	9. Old Stories, Part 1

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing this fic! I'm amazed to see that you enjoy it! Thank you! Huge thanks to the sweet and talented madmush for betaing and to Dine89 for the idea with the flashbacks! Special thanks to Dine89, afrozenheart412, webdlfan, rapidtetv, Lindsay1234, rhymenocerous and MesserFamilyFan100!**

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Chapter 9: Old Stories, Part 1**

Working for Danny was just like Lindsay had expected. He didn't put any pressure on her, but still she was trying her best to do her job well. She had to admit his idea of them being roommates and working together was the best for them all. There was a lot less stress, especially regarding Lucy. Their daughter could spend every day together with them, and this change was visible in her behaviour. She was a lot happier, a lot more open and in a much better mood.

Both of them knew that Lucy wanted them to be a real family. It was an understandable reaction which Lindsay assumed most children would show. She and Danny got along so well. They were close friends. To Lucy, this didn't make sense. She didn't understand why her parents, although they got along better than most of her friends' parents, weren't a married couple yet.

To her, this was the next logical step. Danny and Lindsay continued trying to explain their relationship to her, but as it turned out Lucy wasn't the only one who was convinced that the two of them were more than just friends. Family members and friends believed that they were just in denial about their real feelings for each other.

Thanks to their new situation, Lucy could at least spend all day together with them both. This meant the girl tried to play matchmaker even more than usually, but the positive effect it had on her made it worth it.

Working together with Danny and sharing and apartment with him had many advantages for Lindsay. As she didn't need to earn much, she didn't have to work full time. This gave her a lot of time that she could spend either with Lucy or taking care of other things. She didn't feel like she depended on him and his money, so she had enough time for things outside of work.

Even though Danny's apartment was her home now as well, she was hesitant with adding her stuff to his. She felt the strong urge to decorate his apartment a bit, but so far tried to suppress this wish. It was his place still, and even if they were sharing it, she didn't want to turn it upside down.

While Lucy was visiting a friend one beautiful afternoon Lindsay used the time to look through some of the boxes which she still hadn't completely unpacked. She was pleasantly surprised as she found a box filled with photos and albums. A bright smile lit her face as she picked the first one up and made herself comfortable on the couch. She had just opened the first album when she was interrupted by the sound of the front door.

"Danny, is that you?" Lindsay asked.

"Did you expect anyone else to walk into our apartment?" Danny asked back.

She laughed. "Hey, you never know. You could have given the key to Don to make fun of me with making me believe it's you."

He joined her in the living room, grinning. "Nah, it's just me. There wasn't much going on, so as I took Don's shift a few days ago, he agreed to do the same for me today."

"That's nice," she answered.

He nodded. Joining her on the couch, he peeked into the large box that was resting on top of the coffee table now. "What are you doing?"

"I thought I could unpack some more of my stuff again and I found those albums," Lindsay told him. She opened the album that was still resting in her lap. Immediately, her smile widened as she took in the picture on the first page. "Oh my God, isn't this just one of the best pictures ever?"

"Definitely," Danny agreed, his voice revealing he was just as excited as her. "I mean, we keep on updating Lucy's album, but I haven't had a look at these pictures for ages."

Lindsay nodded. In awe, she took in the small picture that was decorating the first page of their own Lucy centered album. She and Danny had agreed to make an album with all important pictures of their daughter which their child would receive as a present when she was older. They had each also made a collection of their own for themselves. The picture on the front had been taken by Don just a few minutes after Lucy had been born. Proudly holding the tiny baby in her arms, Lindsay was glancing down at her with a smile. Danny had wrapped an arm around her shoulders, lying in bed with her. It was a perfect picture and Lindsay was amazed at how much they looked like a real family.

"Do you remember how it was driving me crazy when I was in labour for so many hours?" she asked him, chuckling as she remembered how she had tested his patience.

"_I'm sure you will give birth to her soon," Danny said once again. He didn't know how many times he had repeated this sentence during the last couple of hours. While taking deep breaths to try and relax as yet another contraction hit her, Lindsay glared at him._

"_Are you kidding me?" she asked. "Do you actually know how many hours I've been sitting here already? Still they keep on saying it's not enough yet. That I have to wait. Do you think it's fun to lie in this bed with this giant belly and have contractions all the time? You can't even imagine how that feels like."_

"_I know and I'm sorry it's taking so long," he answered. He took one of her hands into his, stroking it gently. Immediately, her delicate fingers grasped him tightly. "If you want, we can walk a bit again. They say labour can progress faster then. Or maybe you could agree to have a bath like the nurses suggested."_

"_No," Lindsay answered between clenched teeth. "I can't walk the baby out of me, and that stupid bath doesn't work either. I'll just lie there like a whale. I can do that here just as well."_

"_You don't look like a whale," Danny said softly._

_She rolled her eyes at him. "I do look like a whale. And why? Because of a one night stand. It's all your fault. You got me pregnant and now I'm the one who has these contractions. Fantastic." Once again, her eyes squeezed shut and she hissed as she felt another contraction. Her hand grasped his so tightly that he had to press his lips together to stay quiet._

"_I'm sorry," she said between breaths, all of the sudden in a whole different voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap. It's just driving me crazy." She sighed relieved as the contraction was over and looked up at him. "I'm mean, huh?"_

"_No, you're not," Danny answered honestly. "If I had contractions, I'd possibly be a lot worse. I'd scream at the doctors and everyone else who doesn't do what I want."_

_Lindsay laughed. "I guess you're right with that." She snuggled into him and he wrapped an arm around her. "I'm glad you're here and that we're doing this together."_

"_Of course," he answered._

"Oh, I definitely remember that," Danny answered, laughing.

Lindsay nodded. "It was crazy. But I love thinking about it, especially when we look at this picture here."

Danny nodded in agreement. "So many tough hours, but it's nice to think of it. This moment was worth it." He traced his fingers over the picture and a smile lit Lindsay's face.

She loved to see him like that. The birth had taken so long and he had been there all the time. Ever since she had gone into labour at home and he had picked her up to take her to the hospital, he had been there. And he had tried his best for her. During all those hours, he had held her hand, had massaged her back, had walked up and down the hallways with her, had allowed her to scream at him when she was frustrated and had comforted her when her mood had changed again. Even in the delivery room, he had been with her.

Lindsay could imagine that the delivery room wasn't a place men liked to be at. She hadn't enjoyed it much either. But still Danny had supported her, had told her how to breath and when to push. She could also still remember how, after Lucy was born and they had heard her first cry, he had kissed her. They had never talked about this kiss, but it had felt so different to any other kiss she had shared with anyone after that.

"What are you thinking about?" Danny asked, interrupting her in her thoughts.

"Oh, nothing special," Lindsay answered, despite herself blushing lightly. "I was just thinking of that day. I'm glad you were there for me all the time."

"Of course," he replied, offering a warm smile. "Now let's see what else this album has to offer."

Nodding, Lindsay turned over the next page. "Oh, how could I forget we kept this?" Shaking her head in surprise, she glanced at the first ultrasound picture of their baby. Immediately, old memories rushed back again.

"Of course we kept this," Danny answered. "It's so special. It had to be in here. I remember how we put it in here together."

"Oh yes," Lindsay replied. "And I remember how I showed it to you for the first time."

_When Lindsay had found out that she was pregnant, she had done four tests altogether to be sure she really was expecting a baby. Even then, she had stared at the test sticks in disbelief._

_One night. One passionate night and already she had gotten pregnant. Of course Lindsay knew it had been naïve to not consider this option and not even think about it at all when she and Danny had slept with each other._

_She couldn't even fully remember how it had happened in the first place. Suddenly they had been kissing, suddenly all their clothes had disappeared and they had found themselves in his bed. It had been a hot, passionate and intense night and even though she was extremely careful when it came to the use of condoms, they both hadn't thought of that at all._

_After four pregnancy tests and an appointment with her doctor, she knew it for a fact; she was expecting a baby. Danny's baby. Lindsay had been unsure on how to let him know. She didn't expect anything from him because the baby hadn't been planned. She didn't want his money, she didn't want him to do anything he didn't want to do. Despite her shock at the news of being pregnant, she was excited as well. She had always felt the desire to become a mother, and whether he would help her with that or not wouldn't change anything. In the worst case scenario, she could easily go back to Montana._

_But Danny had reacted different to how Lindsay had expected. Right after seeing the doctor, when she still felt strong and determined enough to let him know, she had hurried to the diner. She wanted to tell him about their child before she would change her mind._

_Her determination quickly seemed to be disappearing though as she stepped into the kitchen, facing Danny and Don there._

"_Hey Montana," Danny greeted her, as usual using the nickname he had given her over a year ago when she had moved to the city. "What's up?" He glanced up from the sandwich he was making. Obviously her face was giving her away as his expression immediately turned serious. "Did something happen?"_

_Lindsay nodded. "Do you have a minute to talk to me? Alone?"_

"_No worries, I'll check if our guests are happy with our new sandwich," Don answered, not needing to hear more. Lindsay waited until he had left the kitchen before she closed the door. She could feel Danny's nervousness, but she wasn't feeling any different._

"_What's up?" he asked again, turning his full attention to her now._

_Lindsay wondered if she had ever felt so insecure before. She had never been in such a situation and she had no idea how Danny would react. There was only one way to find it out though, and it made no sense to wait any longer._

"_I'm pregnant," Lindsay announced. "I'm expecting a baby and you are the father."_

_Danny stared back at her, unable to reply for a moment. Various thoughts were rushing through her mind. What would he do now? Would he tell her to leave the diner? Would he blame her for getting pregnant? For doing it on purpose?_

"_Are you sure?" he asked. "That you're pregnant?"_

_Nodding, Lindsay fished for the ultrasound picture which she had gotten just a bit earlier. She handed it to Danny. "As you know, you're the only one who I slept with since I moved to New York. And that was four weeks ago, right then when she was conceived. That's what the doctor said as well."_

"_You don't have to explain that to me. I know you haven't slept with anyone else. That it's mine." He continued staring at the picture before he looked up at her again and to her utter surprise, he smiled. "I just...I mean, I knew it can happen when you do it once without protection. But somehow I didn't expect this at all." His smile widened. "That's...wow. I don't know what to say."_

"_I'm not expecting anything from you if that's what you're worried about," Lindsay told him, unsure on whether this would be helpful for him or not._

_Danny looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"_

_She shrugged, trying her best to hide her still strong insecurity. "I'm not expecting money or that you take care of the baby or that you're there for me all the time. It's up to you if you want to have any contact with the child. If you don't want to be involved at all, that's fine. You also don't have to feel responsible for me. I could always move back to my family."_

_Her answer seemed to confuse him even more. "You don't seriously think I'd just tell you to leave me alone because of the child? Hey, we agreed to be friends, right? I know I don't have to marry you now or anything. But we are both responsible for this child and I want to be part of this. I want us still to be the close friends we've been all the time. And that means I'll help you with that. I will go to all appointments with you if you want me to. And I want to see the child as often as possible."_

_He stepped over to her and took her hands into his. Only then she realised they were shaking. "We'll do this together, alright?"_

_One look into his eyes and Lindsay knew Danny was being honest. He wanted to support her with their child. In fact he even seemed to be excited about it. And with a relieved smile, she nodded in response._

"That was really crazy," Danny said then, laughing. "I'm glad you didn't just decide not to tell me. I think you and I are really good at being parents."

Lindsay nodded in agreement. "Definitely. I wonder what else we'll discover in this album."

Together, Danny and Lindsay continued looking at the pictures. And once again they discovered it; this special tension which seemed to get stronger and stronger lately.


	10. Old Stories, Part 2

**A/N: Huge thanks for the sweet and lovely reviews and of course to everyone who is reading this fic! Huge thanks also to my lovely madmush for betaing! Special thanks to MesserFamilyFan100, Lindsay1234, rapidtetv, afrozenheart412 and Dine89!**

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Chapter 10: Old Stories, Part 2**

Danny and Lindsay hadn't looked through their albums for a while, and as they went through all the old pictures, many old memories returned. They had known each other for so many years now, and for both of them, this was a strange feeling. It seemed as if they had known each other forever already.

"Oh goodness, my belly grew really fast," Lindsay said as they continued looking through their Lucy centric album. Her cheeks reddened lightly. "Then again why am I surprised? I looked like a whale by the time I had to give birth."

Laughing, Danny shook his head at her. He could clearly remember how many times Lindsay had complained that her belly was growing so fast. She had been convinced that she was expecting more than one baby.

He had never told her about this, but he had to admit that he had enjoyed seeing her body change like that. It had amused him how such a small, petite woman could still walk with such a huge belly. He had loved to see her subconsciously stroking over it, smiling whenever she could feel their baby move. He had also loved to rest his hand on top of it, feeling those movements as well.

Her pregnancy had been a stunning experience, for the both of them. It had brought them even closer together than they already were. Both of them had agreed to stay friends, even after finding out about their baby. Still the baby had intensified the bond between them and he didn't have a doubt that since her pregnancy, he was even more protective of her.

"I think you looked really beautiful," Danny told her. "Look at this picture here."

In amusement, he noticed how Lindsay blushed even more. "I didn't even know you were taking a picture of me when you did that," she answered.

It was the truth. The picture was one of his favourites; mainly because he had caught her while she hadn't even been aware of his presence. Standing near her living room window, she had been distracted by some kicks. With a soft smile on her face, she gazed down at her belly, both hands resting on top of it.

"It is beautiful, it's one of my favourites," he repeated. "Stop calling yourself a whale. You looked wonderful. After all there was our baby growing in there." He threw a short glance at her. "Plus look at yourself now. You have a stunning body. So stop that insecurity stuff."

Lindsay chuckled. "Fine." Quickly, she hurried through the pictures until she stopped again the moment photos of Lucy showed up. "Oh, look at our little cutie! Wasn't she just the sweetest baby ever? And don't say every parent says that about their kids."

Danny laughed. "Are you kidding me? Of course she's the cutest baby ever. And look at her over here. With those blonde curls. She looks so incredibly cute."

Lindsay nodded in agreement. "It's no surprise that we are so protective of her. I mean, look at how sweet she is. Three years old, and a smile that makes you drop everything just to stare at her. You and I really created a beautiful little baby."

"Absolutely," he answered. He agreed with her. Lucy was a beautiful child and as a baby, she had looked like a little princess. Everyone kept on telling them that she was a perfect mix of the both of them. Danny believed that she had gotten her beauty from her mother though. "Do you remember how we sent her to pre-school for the first time?"

_Lucy had just turned three years old a bit earlier when Danny and Lindsay decided that their daughter should go to pre-school as well. They knew this was a good way for Lucy to meet children of her age and make friends. They had explained to her that she would stay a few hours at the pre-school and would play with a lot of other children there._

_Lucy was excited. Danny and Lindsay had to admit that even though they knew it was important for their daughter, they didn't like the idea too much. They had tried their best to hide this in front of Lucy and had encouraged her not to be shy when they had arrived at the pre-school._

_Things had changed though when they were on their way back home._

"_Do you really think it was the right thing to do that?" Lindsay asked with a sigh. "I mean...look at her. She is so little. What if the other children hurt her? What if they bully her or shove her around or steal her stuff?" She shuddered. "Poor baby, what if they call us because she's crying all the time?"_

_Danny had to admit he had played with those thoughts as well. He was surprised to find himself a lot calmer than expected. With her, this was a whole different story, but he knew this was caused by various reasons, some of them located in her past._

"_I know what you mean, but you'll only drive yourself crazy with those thoughts," Danny said softly. "See, I know this happens. I know kids often get bullied. I didn't have the nicest time at school, and I know that what you went through was worse by far. I know your own experiences with those bullies frightens you even more. But just because we weren't treated nicely it doesn't mean the same will happen to Lucy. Maybe when we pick her up later, she will have already made many new friends."_

"_I know," Lindsay answered. "I know I shouldn't have such thoughts. I know I'm worrying too much anyway. If I hate sending her to pre-school, how will I feel and act when she is a teenager and wants to go out? What if she wants to...well, what if she wants to meet her friends and...you know."_

_Danny nodded. He had already expected that sooner or later, one certain event from her past would be brought up. He knew it was one of the main reasons why Lindsay had such a problem with Lucy going to pre-school._

_Reaching out, he took one of her hands into his, squeezing it gently. "I can understand you, okay?" he replied. "I can understand that you fear someone might hurt Lucy, but all we can do is protect her as good as possible. We're not careless, but we can't look after her all day in and all day out. She needs to grow up and make experiences. This starts with pre-school. I know it's hard, but we can't constantly worry. Lucy could also just step out of the house and get hurt by someone. If we really wanted her to stay away from all trouble, we'd have to lock her at home."_

"_I know you're right," Lindsay agreed. To his relief, a light smile lit her face. "Thanks for talking some sense into me."_

"_I just calmed you down a bit." Danny replied, smiling himself. "And now let's do something nice until we'll pick her up. You'll see then, she will have had loads of fun."_

"_That'd be nice," Lindsay answered. "I'd be happy if she told us she had met many new friends."_

_Danny nodded. "And I'm sure that's what she'll say."_

_A few hours later, Danny and Lindsay returned to the pre-school. They were greeted by a happily smiling Lucy who spent all the way back home with chatting about all the nice children she had met._

"We should have just relaxed I guess," Lindsay said then. "Although we also know she didn't have it easy all the time."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, somehow we attract trouble, huh?" He watched her as she continued looking through the album. Her expression had changed while both of them had remembered Lucy's first day at pre-school. Like he had done on this day, he reached out and took her hand into his, squeezing it gently. She looked up at him, didn't seem to be surprised by his action though.

"Why's it all still coming back?" she wanted to know. "I'm so many miles away. I'm so busy here. We have Lucy, I have a job, I have you and Don around, and our families are always there for distraction as well. How is it possible that I'm still feeling so bad about it?"

"It won't just go away," he answered. "You know that. It was such a traumatic experience. That guy is still out there. Of course it keeps coming back."

Lindsay sighed. "It's no fun, you know? It keeps on bothering me so much sometimes that I'd like to lock Lucy up in her room and not allow her to go anywhere. Sometimes I'm even scared to send her to school, because I fear some psycho will show up. That's why I keep on taking her everywhere. Not because it's easier to go by car than by bus. I just...want to protect her. I know I'm overdoing it though."

Danny could feel her discomfort increasing with every word. She wanted to protect Lucy, yet she felt bad about it because she didn't want to be overprotective. "I can understand you, and you're really not overprotective. Believe me."

"You don't have to excuse my behaviour," she answered.

"I'm not," he replied. "But what do you expect from yourself? You were a teenager back then. Your three best friends were killed while you were hiding in a bathroom, overhearing it all. You were the one who saw this guy. You were the one who found them. And even after all these years, that guy is still out there. How can you expect from yourself that you can just push it all aside, that it doesn't affect you at all?"

"I just don't want Lucy to feel uncomfortable," she said.

"Do you have the feeling that she's uncomfortable?" he asked back. "To me, it more seems like she feels happy that she has parents who take her to her friends so she doesn't have to sit in an overfilled, smelly bus."

To his relief, Lindsay laughed. "Is that what she's thinking or what you're thinking?"

"It's what she's thinking," Danny answered with a smile. "We once took the bus and it was one of those days when you can barely stand anywhere and when people believe it's enough to shower once a week." His smile widened as she laughed again. "You have to stop believing that you can't feel like you do. You came to New York for a fresh start, not to forget about everything. That's impossible."

She nodded. "I know." A smile lit her face as well. "Can you still remember that day? When we met for the first time?"

"Of course I can," he answered.

_It had been a beautiful day in early fall. It was surprisingly warm and even though Danny loved his work at the diner he and Don had opened a while ago, he still would have preferred to have a nice, long walk in Central Park. Soon it would be cold again and then he would rather be staying inside._

_The fact that he was working at the cash desk while Don was the one who took care of sandwiches, pizzas and all the other meals they served didn't make his mood any better. The work at the cash desk was their least favourite one. Both of them preferred cooking or serving their meals to their guests. But the cash desk bored them both._

_At least until she entered the diner._

_Danny had spotted the young woman as soon as she stepped through the door. She looked a little confused as she took in the small room with all the tables. A grin lit his face. He didn't know where this feeling was coming from, but he couldn't help the thought that this young woman wasn't a native New Yorker._

_It took her a moment until she spotted him and with a relieved smile made her way over to the cash desk. Danny couldn't do anything against his widening grin. The closer she came the more he realised how beautiful she was. She had wonderful, deep brown eyes, long, light brown hair and a smile that would turn every man's knees into jelly. What surprised him the most was the fact that she wasn't dressed up, that she wasn't even wearing a lot of make-up. He didn't remember when he had last seen such a natural beauty._

"_Hey," she said, in a voice that not only revealed that her voice was as beautiful as her appearance, but also that she definitely wasn't a New Yorker. He had spotted the hints of a Midwestern accent. His curiosity increased. "I'm sorry, Sir. I'm new in New York City and I guess I managed to get lost somehow."_

"_That happens easily when you're here for the first time. Even New Yorkers get lost in Manhattan quite often," he answered, trying to make her realise that she didn't have a reason to feel embarrassed. Indeed, her smile widened._

"_Thank you, that's good to know," she answered. "I'm supposed to meet my uncle at Grand Central Station. Is it very far away from here?"_

"_Oh, not at all," he replied, amazed noticing how her smile seemed to get even brighter. "You're really close. Just a few more blocks and you're there." He pointed at her map. "May I show you, Miss..."_

"_Monroe," she answered. "Lindsay Monroe."_

"_Danny Messer," he introduced himself. "Let me show you on your map. It's really easy to find."_

"_Thank you," she answered gratefully, handing the map to him. "I thought it'd be a bit easier. I'm from Montana but there's quite a huge difference to New York City."_

"_I can imagine," he replied. "May I ask what a young woman from Montana is looking for in Manhattan?"_

_And so, while explaining the map to Lindsay, Danny managed to learn more about her. And soon, he had convinced her to visit his and Don's diner more often._

"You were really friendly to me on that day," Lindsay said, reaching for another album. "I was really confused and I was so embarrassed when I talked to you. I mean, I felt like such a cliché. The girl from Montana that can't even find Grand Central Station."

"I would've never made fun of you," Danny replied. "In fact I found you really cute. And you know how men are. They love to offer a helping hand when it comes to a pretty woman."

She chuckled. "I know. It's quite surprising that we then turned out to be friends and didn't get anything else started if you thought I'm cute."

"Yeah, that's surprising indeed," he answered.

And as he and Lindsay continued looking through the next album, Danny slowly started to understand what their friends and family members were talking about all the time. It didn't make sense that they had become just friends. And more and more he started to agree with them.


	11. Old Stories, part 3

**A/N: Oops! I think it's definitely time to update this fic again! Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing this story! Thanks to madmush for betaing! Special thanks to Dine89, MesserFamilyFan100, rapidtetv and afrozenheart412!**

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Chapter 11: Old Stories, part 3**

"I have to say we should look through those albums a lot more often," Lindsay said, once again picking up a new one. She was amazed by how many albums she and Danny had by now. A lot of those pictures were showing Lucy, but they had also taken photos of many other moments. Some of them were sweet, some of them funny. All of them were wonderful to look at.

"Definitely," Danny agreed. "Wow, another family album. It seems like your and my families don't do anything but celebrate all day long."

Lindsay chuckled. "Yes, and our mothers spend the whole day with cooking huge meals for loads of guests." She smiled as she looked through photos of yet another large family meeting. When she had moved to New York, she had feared that she would have a hard time with getting to know people in such a huge city. Even though one would believe it was easy to find friends or a partner, the biggest problem was the anonymity.

Of course her concerns had been proven wrong very soon. Lindsay and Danny had soon become best friends and she had spent a lot of time with him and Don. Even back then already, she had gotten to meet his family members. Since the day they had announced that they were expecting a baby, she had been accepted as a full part of the family.

"Did you ever play with the thought to move back to Montana one day?" Danny asked all of the sudden.

Lindsay looked up at him in surprise. "What?"

"Did you ever wonder if you should move back to Montana?" he repeated. "I mean, your family is still there and I see how excited you get whenever we visit them. You love to be in the country. Did you ever wonder if you should move back?"

For a moment, Lindsay looked at him in surprise. She and Danny had never talked about this topic before. Indeed she loved to visit her family and old friends in Montana, she loved to be on the farm and in the country. But that he wondered she might want to move back surprised her.

"I thought you knew I love New York," she said.

He nodded. "I do. But be honest, don't you sometimes play with the idea? Or did you in the past? I'm just curious, you know me."

But Lindsay knew Danny's question was about more than curiosity. She could see it in his eyes, she could hear it in his voice. There was insecurity.

"I love New York," she told him. "It's my home. Yes, I grew up in Montana. I love Montana. I love the farm, I love the countryside. It's wonderful to be back there for vacation, to meet my family and everyone else. But I moved to New York for many reasons, not just because I wanted to write for one of the big newspapers. I needed this fresh start and I never regretted it. I love being here. Like I said, it's my home. Plus I have family here as well. I have Lucy, and I have you and your parents and all the others. You're my family as well. And apart from that, I would never move to Montana with Lucy and prevent you from seeing her every day. I have to admit I played with the idea when I found out I was pregnant and was unsure what you'd say. But ever since then, I didn't think about it again."

He smiled at her in relief. "That's good. I know you wouldn't just move with Lucy. But I wanted to make sure you really feel comfortable and happy here." His smile widened. "So I'm family for you as well?"

Lindsay couldn't help but blush lightly at his question. Of course he was family to her; they had a child and spent every day together. They could share everything with each other and knew they always had someone to rely on.

But there was also something else. Lindsay had already discovered that she and Danny were closer than she had realised in the past. Many people kept on making fun of their friendship; to them, it was hard to believe that a man and a woman who had a child and were so close could only be friends. To her, anything else but friendship had never been up to debate.

Until recently. Since they were living together and since she had broken up with Alan, she had spent a lot of thinking about what she actually wanted. She was tired of relationships that led to nothing. Yet she was longing for some closeness.

Danny was giving her closeness. Lindsay knew she could always talk to him and since they were sharing an apartment, they had spent a lot of cosy, comfortable evenings on the couch together.

He was her best friend, but she couldn't help the feeling that there was also something else, and this feeling was getting stronger and stronger. Looking through the pictures, she had been amazed by the fact that there was indeed something which she hadn't noticed before. Some of the looks they had shared on those pictures had made her blush. It didn't surprise her that their families and friends were so convinced by their opinion that they should be a couple.

"Of course you're family for me," Lindsay answered then.

Danny grinned at her. "Good to know." He paused again. "I'm glad you decided to move to New York, really. I know it wasn't an easy decision for you."

"I just think I needed to see something else. I needed some distance to what happened back there," she replied.

"I have to say I was pretty surprised that you told me about it, especially as apart from me, no one else apart from your family knows about it," he said.

She smiled softly. "Well, like I said, you're family for me. I trust in you." Lindsay had to admit Danny was right though. Telling him had been a big step for her.

_The prospect of becoming a mother soon was one of the most exciting thoughts for Lindsay. She had always wanted to have children one day; her own little family. Now, a few weeks before the baby would be born, nervousness had joined her excitement. So far, she had kept this nervousness to herself, blaming her hormones for that._

_But blaming the hormones was getting more and more difficult with the time. And so, on a rainy evening, she was curled up in her bed, the blanket covering her round belly protectively. She had tried to fall asleep to escape her nervousness, but it hadn't worked. Now the first tears were rolling down her cheeks and so lost in her thoughts, she missed how the front door of her apartment was opened. Lindsay didn't hear Danny until he knocked at her bedroom door, startling her._

"_What are you doing here?" she asked, trying her best to wipe away her tears in embarrassment. "Did I forget you wanted to come over?"_

_He shook his head. "No, but I tried to call you several times and when you didn't answer your phone, I got worried. For a reason obviously." With a concerned look, he made his way over to her bed and without waiting for an invitation, he joined her. "What happened? Why are you crying? Are you in pain?"_

_Lindsay shook her head. "No, I'm fine. It's just...I...well, I was thinking of something. I...I...just...I mean..." Her voice trailed off. She didn't know how to explain what was bothering her. The main reason for her nervousness and fear was located in her past and he didn't know anything about this story. The look Danny was giving her told Lindsay that he wouldn't back off until she had told him what was bothering her._

"_See, told you it was a good idea to come over." He moved closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Instinctively, she allowed him to pull her closer and snuggled into his chest. Like always, his embrace had a comforting effect on her. But this wouldn't be enough for him._

"_What's bothering you?" Danny asked again. "You know you can tell me everything."_

_Lindsay sighed. "I know. It's just...I mean, she'll be here soon. And I keep on worrying all the time. What if someone hurts her? As her parents, it's our job to protect her. It's our job to make sure she is safe. But even the best parents can't always be there. What if someone hurts our child?" She paused. "And don't come up with some lame excuse why I shouldn't worry."_

"_I won't," Danny replied, to her confusion not sounding surprised at all. "I guess you're talking from own experience?"_

"_What?" In surprise and confusion, Lindsay looked up at him again. "What makes you think that?"_

"_I know you," Danny answered. "I have this suspicion for quite a while now. Especially when you kept on telling me that you came to New York for a fresh start. Don't you finally want to tell me your story?"_

_For a couple of moments, Lindsay glanced back at Danny, debating what she should do. She knew she could trust in him, she knew he would listen. And she knew that it would help her if she shared this story with him; he would understand her behaviour a bit better. And so she started to talk._

"I was really glad that you trusted in me enough to tell me about that," Danny said.

"I'm glad I did it," Lindsay answered. "And I'm glad you kept it to yourself. It means a lot to me that I can count on you like that."

Danny offered a soft smile. "Anytime. Hey, we're a good team."

"We are, definitely," Lindsay agreed. She smiled as she saw the look he was giving her. "I mean it. I love New York. I love being here with you and with Lucy, with our friends and your family. And I love when we go on vacation to Montana. It's the perfect balance."

He smiled back at her. "That's good to know." He hesitated again and she could feel he had more to say, so she waited and let him sort out his thoughts.

"Don't you think you should give your career a try again?" he asked then. "I mean, you came here because you wanted to write for one of the big newspapers. You're a fantastic writer. If you hadn't gotten pregnant, you'd surely be writing for the New York Times by now."

She chuckled, once again feeling how she started to blush. "I don't think so."

"I do think so," Danny replied. "I just think it's unfair that I could keep on working on my dream while you had to stop. I know how many random jobs you had to take over the years although you were so close to starting a real career as a journalist."

"You don't know if it'd have worked out either," Lindsay answered. She was surprised that he brought this topic up; she hadn't thought about her old plans for a long time. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm happy with how things turned out. I love being a Mom."

"I didn't say you don't love it," he said. "But it doesn't change that you didn't come to New York to work at a diner. You came here to write for a big newspaper. I think you should try it. Really, you should."

"I don't know." She shrugged. "See, I didn't work in that job for over nine years. And I still have Lucy to take care of."

"Oh come on, she is eight," Danny replied. "Plus I think it's discriminating if they don't employ you because you have a kid. Isn't a journalist allowed to have children? I think so. And you and I are living together. You could just tell them we're together and that you're flexible because I'm taking care of her as well."

Lindsay chuckled. "You're really stubborn, you know that? I still don't know if that's a good idea."

"Because you don't want to do it or because you would love to do it but are too insecure?" he asked back.

Again she shrugged. "I don't know, to tell you the truth. Sure, I'd still love to write for a big newspaper. But it's also a lot of stress. I love working at your diner. I really do. And I want to spend a lot of time with you and Lucy. I wouldn't be able to do that if I wrote for one of the big ones. Apart from that, I doubt they'd want me after so many years."

"You never know," Danny said. "Okay, if you enjoy how it's now, that's fine. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do. But if you realise you'd like to write again, you should give it a try. Just promise you might give it a try."

"Okay." Lindsay laughed. "For the case I feel like writing again, I might give it a try."

Danny nodded satisfied. Lindsay was amused by ho much he wanted to convince her that she should follow her dream and write for one of the big newspapers in New York. Indeed this sounded good to her, but at the moment she was happy with her current job and all the time she had for her family.

* * *

Shaking his head in amusement, Don was watching Lucy who was standing next to him, supposed to cut some carrots. After finding out that her friend had an appointment which the girl hadn't known about, Lucy had used her 'emergency cell phone' and had asked Don to pick her up. She had asked to help him in the kitchen a bit, but she seemed to be far away with her thoughts.

"Is there a special reason why you called me instead of your parents?" Don wanted to know, smirking as Lucy snapped back to reality.

"Daddy said that he wanted to take the rest of the day off so I thought maybe he and Mommy are spending it together," Lucy answered.

Don's smirk changed into a grin. "Oh, does that mean someone's playing matchmaker here?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "No matchmaker would be successful anyway. They are stubborn like this carrot here." With a groan, she tossed the carrot back into the pot which she had taken it out of earlier.

"What do you mean?" Don wanted to know although he knew the answer already.

Lucy groaned again. "Why are adults so stupid, Uncle Don?"

He shrugged playfully. "No idea. I don't know how you could believe I know anything about adults."

"Don't make fun of me, Uncle Don. I'm annoyed," Lucy told him.

Don chuckled. "Sorry, my mistake. But why are you so annoyed? And why are adults stupid?"

"Because Mommy's and Daddy's behaviour makes no sense to me," Lucy explained. "I mean, they share the same apartment now. They are so close. They like each other way more than all those parents of my friends. Why aren't they together? They don't look like friends. They even have me. I could get it if they hated each other or something. I know not all parents are married. But they like each other so much. Why aren't they just together?"

"I don't know either, sweetie," Don answered. Many times, he had tried to explain this behaviour to Lucy, but in fact he didn't even understand it himself. "Guess what, I think Danny and Lindsay just need to realise that they are more than just friends. It's a cool idea you came over so they can spend some time together. We just have to arrange more of those moments. And who knows, maybe the party we'll have here in a few days will help as well."

Lucy sighed. "That'd be so cool."

"I'm sure sooner or late our plan will work," he told her with a wink.

Don could understand Lucy's frustration. In his eyes, Danny and Lindsay were in love with each other. They should already be a couple. But both of them were too stubborn to realise that. In Don's eyes, it was only a question of time until they would see what they all knew already.


	12. This Special Tension

**A/N: Thanks for your sweet and encouraging reviews! It's so sweet of you! Huge thanks to madmush for betaing! Special thanks to Dine89, VanCee123, LoveIsInTheAir4DL, MesserFamilyFan100 and rapidtetv!**

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Chapter 12: This Special Tension**

Danny and Lindsay had picked Lucy up together after work. She had stayed at a friend's after school. In amusement, Lindsay watched how her daughter slowly walked up the stairs as if she had worked all day long, barely able to carry her school bag.

"Ugh, finally at home!" Lucy groaned as they entered their apartment. Surprisingly quick, she hurried into the living room and dropped herself onto the couch. "That was a tough day."

"A tough day? What did you do that was so exhausting?" Danny asked her.

Lucy sighed. "I worked all day! First school and then playing with Hannah. We did so much."

"I see, that's hard work of course," Danny answered, winking at Lindsay.

Chuckling, Lindsay headed into the living room as well. With a playful sigh, she let herself fall onto the couch as well, landing half on top of her squealing daughter. "Then we can be exhausted together now. I worked all day as well."

She tickled her daughter and laughed as Lucy giggled. Since they had moved in with Danny, Lindsay had discovered that their daughter seemed to be a lot more relaxed. She had noticed the tension before. Fortunately now no boyfriend or girlfriend of one of them was bothering her anymore.

Lucy's happiness was one reason why Lindsay wasn't interested in dating anyone in the next time. She didn't need the pressure, she didn't need all the exhausting dates. She wanted to be happy, she wanted to relax. She didn't need a man for that. And after all, she had a man around, even if this man wasn't more than a friend. Officially.

"I think we all are exhausted now," Danny said. Before Lindsay could look up at him, she squealed herself as he suddenly joined them on the couch, dropping down on top of the two of them.

"I'm not tired anymore, let me get up!" Lucy squealed, trying to wiggle away from her parents who were both tickling her now. "Hey! That is mean, it's two against one! That's not fair!"

"Who cares? When you and Mommy team up on me, it's not fair either," Danny replied.

Lindsay laughed. "That's something different."

"Oh, it is?" Danny grinned at her and she knew what would happen next. She tried to get off the couch but he was faster. His arms wrapped around her and he pinned her into the couch. Before she could tell him to let her get up, his hands were all over her, joined by Lucy's smaller ones.

"You still think it's something different?" Danny asked, his grin widening as she tried to kick him but didn't manage to reach him.

"Okay, fine, you were right!" Lindsay managed to say between laughters. "Okay, okay, I admit it! Come on, stop!"

"You think we should stop, Lucy?" Danny asked, still keeping Lindsay trapped beneath him.

Lucy grinned as well. "I think we can be nice now. But only if we'll have really awesome dinner, and I will pick. I want Chinese."

"I guess that's a good idea," Danny answered with a wink. "Get the menus and we'll pick something yummy."

"Yay!" Squealing so loud that she made her parents cringe, Lucy jumped up from the couch and hurried into the kitchen. Danny turned back to Lindsay who was still lying on the couch. Trying to catch her breath again, she glanced up at him. She wanted to make a comment, but words failed her as their eyes locked. He was still lying on top of her, pinning her into the couch. They were so close that she could feel his breath on her face. It seemed like every inch of him was pressed against her.

It was an amazing feeling and she caught herself by enjoying this sudden closeness. How much she actually enjoyed it took her by surprise and she cursed herself as she felt how she started to blush. She hadn't missed how the expression in his eyes had changed as well and the look he was giving her made her shudder.

"Lucy's crazy sometimes," he said then, and she realised he was blushing as well; the situation was affecting him as much as her and that surprised her even more.

"Yeah, but what do you expect from our child?" she replied.

"True," he answered.

And once again, they were silent, simply staring at each other. Neither of them was saying a word, yet it wasn't an awkward silence. There was a tension between them which Lindsay had noticed before. Yet it had never been that strong before. They had been close before, but this physical closeness was new and it was stunning. And as she was gazing up at Danny, Lindsay wondered if he was having the same thoughts.

"I picked!" Lucy shouted, startling her parents. The almost magical moment was broken, but both of them had their problems with returning back to reality.

"What did you pick, sweetie?" Danny wanted to know.

"What I want for dinner." Lucy rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? You can't have forgotten about that already!"

"And you can't tell me you forgot about the inside voice again," Lindsay said. "No shouting at home."

Lucy sighed. "Okay, okay. So I picked. Now you have to choose what you want. But hurry, I'm really hungry."

"I know who she got that from," Lindsay said with a glance at Danny. He smirked back at her, but still she could see this expression in his eyes; an expression which she knew perfectly mirrored hers.

"Guess what we should do tonight?" Lucy asked then. "I think we should do a pyjama party. We didn't do that since I was little. And now that we're all living together in one apartment, we don't even have to go back home or anything. Wouldn't that be cool? We'll all wear our sleeping clothes and eat yummy Chinese food and watch TV." Her eyes started to sparkle. "Oh please, that'd be so cool! Pretty please?"

Danny chuckled. "I guess it's difficult to say 'no' to that, huh?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, I think a pyjama party is a nice idea."

Once again, they shared a glance, and once again she wondered what he was thinking. She couldn't help but believe his thoughts were similar to hers.

* * *

They had all changed into their pyjamas after the Chinese food had been delivered. Now Danny, Lindsay and Lucy were sitting on the living room couch, watching one of Lucy's favourite Disney movies and enjoyed the delicious dinner.

Danny had to admit even if he had wanted to, it would have been impossible for him to focus on the movie. Too affected he was still by the earlier moment he and Lindsay had shared with each other.

He had discovered the tension between them a while ago already. It was special, it was amazing and more and more, he had started to believe that indeed there was more between them.

Now he knew it; there was definitely something. This physical closeness had made him realise how attracted he actually was to her. She was a beautiful woman; he had always known that and often told her before. That she had such an effect on him was amazing him though. He had been shocked as he had caught himself wishing to kiss her. He knew how those soft, warm lips felt against his; even after all those years, he could still remember it. He remembered how they had been kissing, how her naked body had been pressed up against his, how his hands had explored every inch of her while she could feel hers brushing over his skin. He could still remember how amazing it had felt like to sleep with her. And all of the sudden, he had felt the strong wish to do it again.

This realisation had surprised him. But if he was honest to himself, he had to admit that he had tried to fool himself for way too long already. This thing between them was there for a very long time now. The way their parents and friends tried to push them still made no sense to him. There was something between them but he still had no idea if they were right.

"Aww," Lucy said as the princess kissed the prince. "Look, it's easy. I bet you two can do that as well." She grinned at her parents who both rolled their eyes at them.

"We won't discuss that again," Lindsay said.

Lucy groaned. "You're so stubborn. Uncle Don's right."

"What's Uncle Don right with?" Danny wanted to know.

Lucy looked up at him for a moment. Then she shrugged. "Ah, nothing. Can we watch another movie now? This time you can pick."

A couple of movies later, Lucy had fallen asleep between them; with her feet up on the coffee table, she was lying on the couch, snoring lightly. Lindsay was watch the girl with a soft smile; a smile Danny had seen so many times before and which he couldn't get enough of. Once again, he mentally shook his head at himself. He had no idea what had happened all of the sudden, but it seemed like he started to discover more and more hints that told him how much she actually meant to him.

"Isn't she just cute?" she asked, gently brushing a few curls out of Lucy's face.

"She is. I think I'll put her into her bed now though. That can't be comfortable." Carefully, he picked the sleeping child up.

"I'm not tired yet," Lucy mumbled in her sleep.

"Of course not, sweetie," Danny whispered, smiling amused. Quickly, he made his way into her room before she would wake up completely. He put Lucy into her bed and wrapped her into her blanket. Still smiling, he placed a kiss onto her forehead before he left the child's room again. As he returned into the living room, he found Lindsay still sitting on the couch, her legs pulled up to her chest, her chin resting on her knees. Although she was just wearing a pyjama, he had to admit she couldn't look any prettier in a fancy dress. She glanced up at him as he joined her on the couch again and smiled softly.

"That was a wonderful evening," Lindsay said. There was a tone in her voice which warmed his heart. Despite his distraction thanks to his confusing feelings, he had still noticed how she had been smiling and laughing all the time.

"It was indeed. And still is." Danny hesitated for a moment. Carefully he inched closer, and when Lindsay didn't back off, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He could feel her hesitating as well for a second before she leaned in and snuggled into his side. Once again they were so close, once again his heart was beating faster. And once again he realised that he enjoyed this closeness much more than it was normal for two friends.

"I think moving in together was the best decision we could have made," she said then.

He couldn't help the broad smile that lit his face. "So you decided you don't have to look for a new place anymore?"

Lindsay shrugged. Glancing down at her, he noticed that she was blushing lightly again. "No idea. I mean, this is your apartment. You and I are sharing a bed. I don't know if you want things to stay like that."

"I think we discussed that more than often enough," Danny answered. Instinctively, he tightened his arm around her a bit. "Do you have an idea of how much I enjoy having the two of you here? And I'm not just saying that because I love spending so much time with Lucy. I love having you around all day as well. It's wonderful to know you're here when I come home. I love to talk to you after a long day. I love to sit here with you. It just feels wonderful to share my place with you. So yeah, I guess that answers your question. If you like being here, do that. I'd be more than happy about that."

He saw how she smiled as well and once again his heart was racing as she snuggled further into him. Only the thin fabric of their pyjamas was separating their bodies from each other. He could feel the longing he had discovered earlier. He wanted her, in a way that was not appropriate for a friend. But to his own surprise, he didn't mind those feelings. He knew feelings like that couldn't be controlled anyway.

"Is the party this week?" Lindsay asked all of the sudden, interrupting him in his thoughts.

"What?" Danny asked on confusion.

"The party at the diner," she explained.

"Oh, right." He nodded. "Yeah, it's this weekend. But you don't have to work all the time."

"I love to work for you, so don't worry about that." She smirked at him. "Will we wear our normal working clothes or will we dress up?"

"We'll dress up of course," he answered, smirking back at her. "It's a party and I want us to have fun as well. I think dressing up is part of that."

"Fantastic idea," she agreed.

Once again, Lindsay smiled and Danny couldn't stop watching her. There had been many moments before in which he had realised that there was something special between them. This feeling was getting stronger and stronger and he could feel she had noticed that there was more as well. He knew that soon this topic would be brought up; they had to talk about those feelings.


	13. Of Parties And Dresses

**A/N: Thanks for the sweet reviews! Thanks to everyone who's reading this fic! Huge thanks to madmush for betaing! Special thanks to Dine89, LoveIsInTheAir4DL, MesserFamilyFan100 and afrozenheart412!**

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Chapter 13: Of Parties And Dresses**

"Are you looking forward to the party already?" Don asked while preparing yet another pizza. It was the day of the party; tonight, they would leave the diner open until after midnight, would play music and serve a special menu. They did such parties once every month; they had turned out to be very well visited events.

"Of course," Danny answered. "Let's hope a lot of people will show up." He threw a quick glance over to Lindsay who was just talking to another customer. "I told her to enjoy the party as well, but she said she wants to help us."

Don chuckled. "She loves her job obviously. You know, that's a good thing actually? At least you have someone who doesn't always try to sneak out to have fun."

"As if she would act like that. You know her, whatever she does, she invests a lot into it," Danny answered.

"Yeah, that's how she is," Don agreed. "But I also think that she just loves working here for us. I mean, could she have better bosses than us? I don't think so."

Danny smiled. "Yeah, it's great that we're all working together here. I bet when Lucy's older, she'll want to work for us as well."

"Means we can expand and have a bigger diner." Don sighed playfully. "I always knew it. One day we would have our big, famous diner and everyone in the city would know about us."

"Any other dreams you want to come true?" Danny teased.

Don's smile changed into a grin. "Yep. That you and Lindsay finally admit your feelings and get together."

Danny couldn't help but groan at this comment. He had stopped counting how often his friend had already brought this topic up. And Don wasn't even the only one. It seemed like everyone thought they knew them better. Everyone constantly let them know that they were supposed to be a couple. It had gotten to a point where such questions started to anger him.

"Can we not start that?" he asked back. "I don't want to keep on discussing this with you over and over again."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I won't drop this topic," Don answered. "You two are my friends. This is not about me being selfish and wanting you to be a couple. This is also not about me thinking you have to do it for Lucy. I just see that there is something between the two of you, whenever you're in the same room, whenever you're looking at each other. It's so obvious and you would be so much happier if you finally got together instead of either staying single or trying random relationships."

Danny didn't know what to reply to that. About his friendship with Don he loved that his friend was honest to him and that he could be honest to him as well. Such conversations always were a little difficult for him.

"Why are you so convinced that there is more between us?" he wanted to know then.

Don shrugged. "For many reasons. Not just because you get along so well and have so much in common. It's because of other things. It's because of the looks you keep on giving each other since the beginning. It's because of the fact that you slept with each other, that it meant so much to the both of you. It's because of how close you are, because of the fact that you can't have any serious relationships with anyone else. There is something between you and it's more than friendship. It's also more than just the closeness between two parents who care for their child. I know you're attracted to her and it's obvious she's feeling the same way. Of course I can't force you into anything. I just wish the two of you would open your eyes and just give it a try. I mean, what could happen?"

"It could ruin everything between us if it didn't work out," Danny answered.

"And what if it works?" Don wanted to know. "Yes, there is the risk. But whatever you do, there's always a risk. Do you think it's better the way it's now? Do you rather stay single because you have feelings for her and don't dare to say a word? Sooner or later, that will also put pressure on your friendship."

"What if I don't even know what I'm feeling?" Danny asked.

Don smiled at him. "You do know this is the first time you don't yell at me that she's just a friend for you? Seems like you're at least seeing it as an option now. If I were you, I'd try to figure out what I'm feeling. And then do something."

Danny nodded in response. He knew it made no sense to keep on pretending he and Lindsay were just friends. Don's arguments made sense and lately there had been too many moments in which he had started to question his feelings. It was about time he found out what was going on.

* * *

Lindsay had been at Danny's and Don's party a couple of times before, but this time, she couldn't help but feel nervous. She didn't know why. So far, she hadn't cared for what to wear, for what to do at the party. Now she was suddenly standing in front of her closet, wondering what to wear. She had made sure that she would help the guys during the party, and she wanted to dress up nicely.

Sighing lightly, Lindsay shook her head at the content of her closet. She hadn't realised that she hadn't been out for a very long time. There had been a few dates of course, a few times she had visited nice restaurants. But she couldn't remember when she had dressed up nicely for the last time. Some of those dresses she hadn't touched for years.

But even more Lindsay confused herself with the unexpected wish to impress Danny. She didn't know where the wish was coming from, but something inside her was telling her that she wanted to look nice for him. She wanted to pick a dress that looked great, a dress he would like. She couldn't remember if she had ever paid much attention to what he was thinking of her before.

More than once during the last couple of days, she had discovered feelings which she hadn't noticed before. Of course Lindsay knew that the connection between her and Danny was something special. She had almost wondered if maybe her family and friends weren't that wrong when they saw something between them; after all everyone believed this and this couldn't be a coincidence.

But those feelings now were new to her. Suddenly, she wanted to be around him even more than usually. Suddenly, there were moments in which they exchanged looks, in which she felt a tension that couldn't be related to a normal friendship.

A light knocking at her door interrupted Lindsay in her thoughts. "Come in, please," she said, surprised that either Danny or Lucy were knocking. The door was opened and Lucy peeked into the room.

"Hey sweetie," Lindsay greeted her, waving her daughter in. "What's up?"

"Just got dressed and didn't know what else to do," Lucy answered. She joined her mother on the edge of the large bed. "Why can't I go to the party as well?"

Laughing, Lindsay shook her head. "Because of the same reasons I told you last time you asked. Because we will be up after midnight and even if you don't have to go to school tomorrow, that's too late. Plus Daddy and I have to work, so we can't take care of you all the time. But staying with your Grandma is nice as well, isn't it?"

"Of course." Lucy sighed. She glanced at the large closet. "You have no idea what to wear?"

Lindsay shook her head. "No, not really. I want to wear something nice that fits to what your Daddy and Uncle Don will wear. They always dress up so elegantly when they are doing the party." She smiled at the way Lucy frowned.

"Maybe I can pick something for you?" Lucy suggested.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Danny said. He had followed Lucy as she had sneaked into the bedroom.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Daddy, why? I'm a girl, I have a good taste."

"But I guess your Mommy's taste and yours are different," he answered with a smile. "Your dinner is done by the way. If I were you, I'd hurry and eat before it gets all cold."

Lindsay laughed as Lucy jumped up from the bed and hurried into the kitchen. "Your daughter is just like you. You always can lure her with food. If a man wants to impress her later, he just has to cook for her."

"No man will try to impress her," Danny replied, now joining Lindsay on the bed.

"We won't start this discussion now," Lindsay told him with a wink. "Believe me, when you really try to keep men away from her when she's older, I'll kick your ass."

He grinned at her. "Hey, you can't blame me for being protective of my girls."

"Your girls?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. To her major surprise, his grin turned shy for a moment.

"Well, the two of you. Just want you to be happy and well," he told her.

Lindsay couldn't help but smile at his words. "You're a sweetheart, you know that?" Glancing at him, she could feel it again; there was something. It was strange, it was confusing her, but it was enjoyable as well.

It was also making her nervous, and so she turned her attention back to the closet. "I still not know what to wear." She sighed.

He chuckled. "Since when do you invest so much thinking into what to wear? You never do."

Lindsay could feel her cheeks starting to redden. "Well, I'm working there with you guys today. I just want to look fine. But I don't know what to choose."

"Want me to help you?" Danny asked.

Lindsay shrugged. "As I have no idea, why not? It's your party, so you should know what's fitting."

"You could just go naked," he suggested with another grin.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Will you help me or not?"

Laughing, he got up. Lindsay couldn't help a slight nervousness as Danny looked through her clothes. They were sharing a bedroom and she didn't feel embarrassed or shy around him. But still having a man look through her clothes was a strange feeling.

"You know what I don't understand?" Danny asked then.

"What?" Lindsay wanted to know.

"Why you don't wear those pretty dresses more often," he said. "I mean, there are some really hot dresses in there. You should definitely wear them more often. It's a shame to hide them in here. They are so pretty, they want to be shown, not hidden."

She cursed herself as she felt her face reddening again. "When am I supposed to wear them?" she wanted to know. "I either work at the diner or I got out with you and Lucy, and I doubt those dresses want to be worn at the zoo or at the playground."

"Well, then you should go out more." Danny reached into the closet. "How about this? I think I never saw it before."

By the time Danny presented the dress to her, Lindsay had a bright red face. He hadn't seen the dress in question for a reason. She had bought it briefly after arriving in New York, simply because she had wanted to buy something nice with her first pay check. At home, she had been too shy to wear it. The dress was black, it was tight and ended right above her knees. It was made of smooth silk and back then when she had tried it on, it had emphasized her female curves perfectly.

"I don't think that's a good idea," she told him.

"Why not?" He handed the dress to her. "I think it looks sexy. I bet you'll look amazing in it."

"I bet I don't even fit into it anymore," Lindsay replied.

Danny raised his eyebrows at her. "Are you kidding me? You have a perfect body. I bet it looks fantastic on you. Come on, at least try it on." With that, he turned around. "I won't peek."

Rolling her eyes at him, Lindsay laughed. "You can also wait outside."

He shook his head. "Nah, if I'm waiting outside, you'll quickly find something else to wear. Quick, put the dress on."

Sighing, Lindsay got up from the bed. She knew he was just as stubborn as her; Danny would stay in the room until she had tried the dress on. Quickly, she undressed, still with a red face. Indeed the dress fitted perfectly. Still she felt nervous and shy as she smoothed the fabric.

"Okay, I'm dressed," she told him.

"See, I told you it's still fitting you," Danny said, turning around. Lindsay could see he wanted to say more, but the moment he could face her completely, he didn't manage to say a single word. Once again, she blushed bright red as he let his eyes roam over her before he forced himself to look her into the eyes.

"Wow," he said.

"You think it's alright?" she asked him.

"Are you kidding me?" He shook his head. "That's perfect. Just perfect."

Although still blushing, Lindsay smiled at the compliment. But even more excited she felt because of how Danny had reacted to her, because of how he was still staring at her. He seemed to like what he was seeing and even though she didn't know why she felt the wish to impress him, she was happy it had worked.


	14. Encouragement

**A/N: Thanks so much for the lovely feedback, I'm glad you're still reading the fic! Thanks for reading also! Thanks to the sweet and talented madmush for betaing! Special thanks to MesserFamilyFan100, Dine89, afrozenheart412 and LoveIsInTheAir4DL!**

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Chapter 14: Encouragement**

Danny enjoyed the little parties at the diner a lot. They were a nice little tradition of him and Don, and since they were friends, Lindsay joined them as well. Now was the first time that she would be there to help them, but he would make sure that she would still be able to celebrate.

Especially as someone who was dressed up like that. Danny loved the close connection between him and Lindsay. He was amazed by himself and by how close he allowed her to get to him. He was even willing to share his bed with her at the moment. Because they had no other spare room; that was the official explanation.

But of course there were other reasons as well. Of course he enjoyed having her in his bed. Of course he loved to wake up next to her. And of course he was happy to have her around, knowing that there was no other man who she could give her heart to.

Danny had always wanted Lindsay to meet a man who would make her happy. So far, he had disliked all of her partners. Most of them had indeed been mean, but slowly he started to understand that maybe Don had been right with telling him that he had simply been jealous.

Lindsay was supposed to be together with him. Danny had accepted that by now. She was the perfect woman for him; they had so much in common, they got along so well. And apart from that, she was the prettiest woman he had ever met. The night they had shared had indeed been special.

But back then, they had simply been too scared to ruin their friendship with messing it up. He wanted her to be happy, but he also didn't want to suffer from a broken heart either. He had been worried that this connection between them would be ruined, and that she would then decide to move back to Montana. No matter if they had a child or not.

By now, Danny wondered if keeping their secret any longer would work. Carefully, he glanced at Lindsay who was sitting in the passenger's seat next to him, glancing out of the front window. She was a stunning sight in her short, black dress, with her hair in soft curls and those sparkling brown eyes. She didn't have to dress up in his eyes, but that didn't change that he enjoyed seeing her like that.

As secretly as possible, he allowed his eyes to roam over her. She had a beautiful body with perfect curves, gently emphasized by her dress. He felt the strong urge to run his hands over her smooth skin; he remembered exactly how it felt like.

In fact Danny should have known earlier that the night he and Lindsay had spent together had been special to him. After all he could remember every single second of it. He couldn't deny that the thought of simply kissing her, let alone doing more with her, was very arousing. He wanted her, possibly had always wanted her.

And he knew Don was right. One of them had to make a move sooner or later. Of course he

could tell himself that she didn't want him, that she only saw him as a friend. But he knew her good enough, and his instinct told him that what they had wasn't normal for friends. There was definitely more between them.

"Are you looking forward to the party," she asked all of the sudden, interrupting him in his thoughts.

"Oh...yeah, sure. They're always fun," he answered quickly, hoping he didn't blush. Fortunately she hadn't caught him watching her. "So...I'm sure dressed up like that, you'll attract a lot of attention."

Lindsay chuckled and even in the dimmed light, he could see that she was blushing. "I don't think that. Everyone will dress up. There will be a lot of other women."

"But no one will be as beautiful as you," Danny replied.

Lindsay's face turned even redder. "Are you trying to flirt with me again?" she tried to tease him, but her voice told him that she wondered if he was serious.

He smiled. "I'm not. I'm just saying the truth. You're beautiful. If a man doesn't see that, he's an idiot."

She was quiet for a couple of moments, thinking about his words. Then she sighed. "But even if anyone was interested, I wouldn't care."

"Are you not interested in having someone around you again?" Danny couldn't help but asked. He cursed himself for leading the conversation in this direction; after all there was the risk he could push her right into approaching other men again. But no matter how much he wanted to be together with her, even more he wanted her to be happy. "You know, not every man out there is bad."

"But most men I met so far weren't nice either," Lindsay answered. "I'm tired of those who can't accept that you and I are so close and that we have a child."

"Maybe the next guy you'll meet will be different. Don't you miss this closeness?" he wanted to know.

"Don't you miss it?" she asked back.

"I asked first," Danny answered, but she shook her head.

"No," Lindsay replied. "You keep on encouraging me to fall in love, but what about you?"

"I'm not interested in that at the moment," he told her, hoping he could lead the topic into another direction again.

"You're not?" She looked at him in disbelief. "There was a time when you thought having a woman was the best thing in the world. What changed?"

"I just don't want to look for a woman who doesn't understand that you and Lucy mean the most to me and that I'm not willing to be her my top priority," Danny explained.

"See? Then you should actually understand me," Lindsay answered. "I'm feeling the same way."

Danny only nodded in response. Of course he could understand Lindsay. Maybe she was indeed happier when she didn't look for someone who wasn't right for her. In fact he believed only one certain man was right for her anyway. And he knew it was about time that this man dared to make the first step into a different direction.

* * *

Sofia watched her granddaughter in amusement. Lucy had a lot in common with Danny and Lindsay. One thing definitely was her appetite. Sofia had worried she had cooked too much for dinner; just briefly though. Even though Lucy had eaten at home already, she had willingly eaten even more.

"Nonna, you're the best cook ever," Lucy said, shoving another huge fork of pasta into her mouth. "I could eat all day long."

Sofia laughed. "Your Nonna is happy to hear that. Would you like some more?"

Lucy nodded eagerly. "Yes, please!"

Smiling, Sofia handed another full plate to her granddaughter. Lucy ate in silence for another couple of moments. Then she stopped, looking up at her grandmother with a questioning look.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Sofia asked.

Lucy shrugged. "I was just wondering about something."

"Would you like to share that with me?" Sofia asked.

Lucy hesitated for a moment. Then she nodded. "I'm just wondering...do you believe Mommy and Daddy that they don't love each other?"

It was Sofia's turn to hesitate. She had her very own opinion regarding the relationship between Danny and Lindsay. Discussing that with their daughter though felt wrong to her. Yet she didn't want to brush the question off.

"What do you think?" she asked back instead.

Lucy shrugged again. "No idea. I talked to Uncle Don as well. See, they are behaving just like a married couple. When I talk to friends at school and they describe their parents, it sounds as if they're describing mine. I mean, we're all living together, Mommy and Daddy even share a room, they really like each other a lot. Why would they not love each other? After all they also don't love anyone else."

Sofia nodded. She could understand why Lucy was confused by the behaviour of her parents. Everyone was confused by it.

"Sometimes it's difficult to understand what others are thinking," Sofia chose to explain then. "Sometimes people also are unsure and need their time to realise what everyone else knows already. The best is you just give them time. If they love each other indeed, they will find it out sooner or later."

Lucy sighed. "Yeah, maybe. They are so stubborn."

"I know someone else who is stubborn as well," Sofia replied with a wink.

Grinning, Lucy turned her attention back to her plate. Once again, Sofia used the chance to watch her granddaughter, and she hoped that she was right. It was about time Danny and Lindsay admitted their feelings to each other.

* * *

Lindsay was no fan of parties, but celebrating at the diner reminded her of parties back home in Montana. The diner wasn't big, so not many people could come around for a visit. Mostly guests that visited them every day had chosen to come around and celebrate with them.

It was a great little tradition and she could understand why Danny loved it so much. Of course he and Don had to work, but this kind of work was different to what they usually had to do. They still found enough time to celebrate as well.

Lindsay had to admit that she didn't understand why she hadn't asked Danny to work for him earlier. The diner was a lovely place, and having her best friends as bosses was perfect as well. She had to admit that she loved her new job.

Apart from that, Lindsay could arrange her schedule the way she needed it. This allowed her to spend even more time with Lucy, to pick her up after school and help her with her homework. She had missed doing that while having full time jobs earlier.

Unfortunately she hadn't been able to work as a journalist yet. Lindsay wasn't surprised that Danny had encouraged her to look for such a job again. She had no doubt that he would help her; if he had to, he would take care more of Lucy during the day, or she could visit his parents. He knew writing had always been her dream and that originally, she had come to New York to write for one of the big magazines.

But for various reasons, Lindsay was hesitant. She knew they would find a way so that Lucy could still have them around enough, and she knew her daughter loved to visit her grandparents.

It was also the job itself that worried her. Lindsay had already had her problem with convincing those magazines that even though she was a single mother, she could still work for them. Apart from that, she hadn't worked as a journalist for a couple of years, and she wondered if there was a chance for her to get back in. This didn't change that writing for one of the big newspapers or magazines was still her dream.

"You're worrying too much again," Danny said, causing her to snap back to the present. She hadn't heard how he had joined her at the bar.

"I'm not worrying," Lindsay answered. "I was just thinking about what we talked about a while ago. You know, me working for a magazine or newspaper."

He gave her an interested look. "Oh? Does that mean you decided to look for your dream job finally?"

"What? No." She shook her head. "No, I'm working for you now. I love this job. Apart from that, it'd be unfair just to look for a new one right after starting here."

He chuckled. "You can look for your dream job whenever you feel it's right. But why are you against it so much? It's still your dream, isn't it?"

Lindsay shrugged. "Maybe. I still would love to write. But not as much as I wanted to in the past."

"Why?" Danny wanted to know.

She chuckled. "Is that 'question Lindsay' day?"

He grinned. "Come on, don't try to distract me. Why do you think it's not your dream anymore?"

"Because I'm happy with what I have now," Lindsay explained.

"I know that," Danny answered. "But having your little family doesn't automatically mean you can't write. You could still work her with a part time job, and in the afternoons, you could write at home and mail the articles to your newspapers."

She couldn't help but smile at his suggestion. "You know exactly how that works?"

Grinning back at her, he shrugged. "I'm just awesome. You know me." He turned serious again. "I know I'm not supposed to push you into anything. I also won't bring up the relationship stuff anymore. But I know that writing is your dream, and that this is why you came to New York in the first place. You don't have to look for a big job yet. But you could start slowly. One step after the other. Maybe write some articles and send them to some newspapers. They can't say more than 'no', right?"

"Of course," she couldn't help but agree.

He nodded. "Exactly. I think you should at least try it." He grabbed her arm gently and pulled her away from the bar. "But now it's party time. You helped enough for tonight. I know you love music, and you like to dance. So why don't you dance a bit?"

She chuckled. "You're adorable, you know that? I never met a man who's so sweet to me."

"You deserve it," Danny answered, giving her a look which she knew all too good by now. "See, I know I can be pushy sometimes. I'm not doing that because I think I know what's right for you. You have to know that yourself. But I know how I am. I know that sometimes people have to smack me and kick my ass because otherwise I don't see what's in front of me. I want you to know that you have my full support, and I think if writing is still your dream, you should work for it. If you need anyone who reads your articles or comes up with topics, just ask."

"So you want to help me and work on my career with me?" Lindsay asked him.

He smiled at her. "Why not? You also supported me a lot already, with many different things. Like I said, I want you to be happy, and I just know that if you decided to write again, it would indeed make you happy." He gave her a gentle push. "But now is not the time to discuss that. We can do that tomorrow, and then we can plan on what to do first. Right now, just have fun."

Her smile widened at his determined encouragement. "Yes, Sir." She winked at him. "Thank you."

And there it was again, the wonderful tension which Lindsay had noticed a lot lately when she and Danny were together in the same room. There was indeed something special, and she knew she could completely count on him. He would support her with her dream, and as he was encouraging her so much, she believed it was at least worth a thought.


	15. True Love

**A/N: Aww, thanks so much for reviewing! And for reading! It's so encouraging to see when people enjoy what you're writing! Special thanks to MesserFamilyFan100, Dine89, afrozenheart412, VanCee123 and LoveIsInTheAir4DL!**

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Chapter 15: True Love**

The party was a full success, like always. But unlike usually, Danny had a hard time with focusing on work and on his guests. Too much, he was busy with watching Lindsay closely. At first, she had helped them as well, but then he had convinced her that she should simply enjoy the party as well.

That was exactly what she was doing now, and he couldn't stop staring at her. Lindsay was a beautiful woman; Danny had always been aware of that. She was sweet, she was sexy. In fact she was the perfect woman. But so far, he had forced himself to believe that they were just friends.

By now, he wasn't so sure about that anymore. Suddenly he was discovering feelings which were so new, so different to everything he had experienced before. Suddenly he was seeing his so called best friend from a whole different side, with whole new feelings for her.

It was a fascinating experienced and slowly, he was starting to understand what their family members and friends had been talking about all the time. There was something special between them, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

He had believed they could just be friends. It had worked for a couple of years. But even those years, he was doubting now. Danny knew he had often been jealous whenever Lindsay had met a new man, and when he himself had met a new woman, he hadn't been able to enjoy being together with her.

No woman had ever been good enough for him. No man had ever been good enough for her. Don had often told him that they wouldn't ever find the right partner because they had already found it in each other. He had tried to convince his best friend from the opposite. But it hadn't worked. Instead he was agreeing with Don now.

He wanted her. More than anything else. But not just in a sexual way. When they had slept with each other back then, he had been attracted to her, neither of them had been drunk. They had been fully aware of what they had been doing. The only reason why they hadn't given a relationship a try had been their fear to ruin their friendship with it.

Now that he was thinking about this, Danny had to admit that this decision had been stupid. He and Lindsay could have started slowly, especially after finding out they were going to become parents. Instead of looking for another partner, they could have just given a relationship a try; they surely would have been mature enough not to let it ruin the connection between them for the case it wouldn't have worked out. And after all they had been united because of Lucy anyway.

Shaking his head, Danny tried to clear his mind. He and Lindsay were close. Very close. Both of them had agreed that they weren't interested in dating anyone else at the moment. He had discovered this special tension between them several times lately and he knew she had felt it as well.

It was the perfect chance to show her what he was really feeling for her, and as he was watching this beautiful woman dancing in his diner, he knew he shouldn't wait much longer. They had waited for years. It was about time they finally made the next step.

"You're crazy, you know that?"

Interrupted in his thoughts, Danny forced himself to turn around and glance up at Don. "Why?"

Don laughed. "Why? Because if I was you, I'd have asked her out already. I mean, how many more years do you want to wait? She's perfect for you, and she's the mother of your child. Kick yourself into your stubborn ass and ask her out finally. You're driving me crazy here."

Danny rolled his eyes. "And why are we driving you crazy? I doubt this is your business."

Don grinned. "No? Sorry, but I have to disagree here. I mean, I'm around the two of you every day. I have to listen to your stupid excuses for why you aren't together. And your daughter doesn't get you two either. You make no sense. Where's the problem, Danny? Do you seriously think that she'd push you away and never talk to you again if you told her that you're in love with her?"

"Maybe it'd been easier for us if we had admitted it back then already. Now after so many years...I don't know." Danny sighed.

"Do you realise that you keep on trying to find excuses?" Don wanted to know. "Back then you were afraid your friendship would suffer and you weren't close enough yet. Now you think you should have said it earlier. Gosh, who cares? Do it finally. The two of you are perfect together, there's this tension between the two of you, you have a daughter, you're living together. Hell, you're even sharing a bed. In fact you are a couple already, you just didn't say it out loud yet. And do you really think you'll get anywhere if you keep on staring her instead of just using your mouth to let her know?" He shook his head. "If you can't speak it out, why don't you just kiss her something? Stop being afraid that she could push you away. She wants you as much as you want her. Everyone knows that. One of the two of you has to make the first step, and I'd recommend you do it finally."

Once again, Danny turned his attention back to Lindsay. Once again, he couldn't help but stare at her. He knew Don was right. She was perfect for him. He wanted her. He could feel she wanted him as well. One of them had to make the first step. It wasn't easy of course, but he knew they shouldn't wait much longer. Sighing once again, he returned into the kitchen. It was about time he was honest to her, no matter how difficult this would be. He just had to find a way to admit his feelings.

* * *

Lindsay enjoyed the party, like every year. She would have liked to help Danny and Don even more with it, but she couldn't deny that some dancing was just as nice. It was wonderful just to have fun, especially after the problems she had had not long ago with her ex.

Lindsay knew she had tried her best to make the relationship with Alan work. She also knew that she hadn't loved him as much as she had wanted to. Somehow something had always been missing. Something hadn't been right.

Now she knew the answer for that. The man simply hadn't been Danny. For years now, she had tried to convince herself that he was just a friend for her. Now she knew that there was something else between them.

There was more. It had taken her years to realise that this was one reason why her previous relationships hadn't worked out either; because the men hadn't accepted her little family but also because they just hadn't been right for her.

Lindsay knew one of them had to be honest finally. One of them had to make the first step and admit what seemed to be so clear to everyone; she and Danny were in love. They belonged together.

Now that she was slowly understanding this, Lindsay had to admit she was embarrassed by how stubborn she and Danny had been all the time. Everyone had tried to make them wake up. But somehow it hadn't worked. Why? Because of how stubborn they had been.

As her feet started to hurt, Lindsay left the dance floor again and returned to the bar where Don was greeting her with a broad grin.

"You know, it's impossible to count how many men tried to mentally undress you," he said.

Lindsay laughed, couldn't help but blush lightly though. "Yeah, sure. Make fun of me."

"I'm serious here," Don answered, winking.

"And which woman did you mentally undress?" she wanted to know.

Don sighed deeply. "None. The woman I want isn't here."

It was Lindsay's turn to grin. She knew there was indeed a woman Don was interested in. She had seen her a couple of times at the diner already; a pretty woman with long, dark hair and a smile that had caught Don's attention when she had come to the diner for the first time. So far, he hadn't dared to ask her out and Lindsay was considering if maybe she should try and do a little matchmaking soon.

"Where's Danny?" she asked then.

Don's grin returned. "In the kitchen. I'm sure he'd be happy if you paid him a little visit."

Rolling her eyes at the knowing glance Don gave her, Lindsay made her way over to the kitchen. Indeed Danny was busy with making new pizzas, but the way he was working told her that he was far away with his thoughts. He didn't even notice her presence.

Lindsay used this moment to watch him. She liked to see Danny like that. When he was aware of people being around him, he liked to have a big mouth. When he was unaware of people though, he showed a thoughtful side of him which she had started to love.

"Looks like your party is a fully success again," she chose to say then, interrupting him in his thoughts.

"I'm happy you like it," he answered, offering a smile. He continued working for another moment before he stopped. Once again, Lindsay could feel the tension rising between them and as she stepped closer, she knew Danny felt it as well.

"I think we have to talk," he said suddenly, making her stop in her tracks.

"Sure," was all Lindsay managed to say. She was standing next to him at the table he was working at now. She watched him as he cleaned his hands and then turned his full attention to her. The expression in his eyes said more than words; without hearing anything, she knew what this conversation would be about. He was about to make the first step. Finally.

"This is not really easy I have to say," Danny admitted. "But I think Don is right. We keep on dancing around each other and it's driving everyone crazy." He hesitated. Then he sighed. "See...I don't know how to start, but...I think you and I both know that we're not just friends. I can't believe I'm actually saying that now, but...I'm tired of pretending there's nothing between us. We had sex with each other, and not in a moment when we were drunk or not aware of what we were doing. We did it because we wanted it, and it was by far the best sex I ever had. I'm attracted to you since I met you for the first time. The only reason why I never dared to ask you out is because you mean so much to me. I didn't want to ruin that. I just was afraid you'd say you only see me as a friend and that being around each other would be awkward for us then. But honestly? I'm tired of trying to keep my feelings to myself. I denied them so much that I really started to believe we're just friends, until I realised how jealous I am whenever you got together with another man. And that none of my relationships worked at all. Still I didn't dare to speak it out because I was afraid you'd not have the same feelings. But...well, maybe I'm wrong, but somehow I start to believe the others. I really start to believe there's more between us, and that you're feeling it as well. I just think it's about time we stop pretending we're just friends."

By this time, Danny's face was red like a tomato. Lindsay could feel how hard this speech had been for him; he had managed to open his heart and had revealed his feelings, although he had no idea how she would react. She had to admit she was surprised by his honesty, but she wasn't surprised at all by what he had just let her know. And she knew it was her job to show him that being honest had been the right decision.

"I know exactly what you mean," Lindsay admitted then. "Because I'm feeling exactly the same way. I always thought I'm just a good friend for you. That the night we shared was nice for you, but that I'm not your type." She paused. "I think you and I shouldn't wonder why Lucy's such a stubborn girl. We're not any different. Maybe if we had just opened our mouths and not wondered about what the other one could be thinking, we'd already be together by now." She couldn't help but chuckle. "Our family members and friends must think we're crazy."

A relieved smile lit Danny's face. "Yeah. Even happier they'll be when they realise we finally listened to them." He stepped in front of Lindsay. "So you're feeling the same way? You think there's more?"

Lindsay smiled back at him. "Honestly? I think you and I are perfect together. Look at how close we are. Look at how we're behaving around each other. In fact we are a couple already. We just have to make it official."

Danny chuckled as well. "That's exactly what Don said as well."

"Then he's perfectly right," she said. He nodded slowly. For another moment, he studied her before he spoke again.

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you, too," she answered, not having to think about her answer for a second.

And then it happened. Danny bent down to Lindsay and for the first time since the night they had shared so many years ago, they kissed. It had taken them long, but finally they had made the step and confessed their feelings. They were officially a couple now.


	16. Finally Together

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I'm so happy you like that they're together now! Here's a new chapter for you! Special thanks to MesserFamilyFan100, LoveIsInTheAir4DL, Dine89 and afrozenheart412!**

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Chapter 16: Finally Together**

It felt as if their kiss lasted for hours. Danny had decided to make the first step before Lindsay had joined him in the kitchen. He had been unsure on when would be the right moment for that. But as she was standing in front of him, he hadn't been able to keep his speech to himself anymore.

And, just like Don had expected, this step had been worth it. Lindsay was feeling like Danny and had dared to admit that as well. They had realised that in fact they were a couple already; they just had to make it official. And then they had just done it. They had kissed, after so many years.

It was about time; he agreed with Don and with everyone who had said that as well. They were perfect for each other and as they were kissing, he couldn't help but feel a strong relief filling him. Not because they were pleasing the others with finally being together.

No, the pressure to stay away from each other, to deny their feelings was no problem anymore either. They had made the step, they had been honest to each other. Now they could see if they would work as a couple, and he was sure they would.

"Hey, didn't you say you wanted to make some new pizzas?"

Don's voice interrupted them in their kiss, causing them to spin around as their friend entered the kitchen as well. Immediately realising what he had interrupted, Don grinned broadly.

"Sorry, I guess I'll come back later," he said. "Damn, it was about time."

With that, he left the kitchen again. Exchanging a glance, the couple laughed at their friend's reaction. Both of them knew how much Don had wanted them to get together finally.

"I think a lot of people will be very glad to hear that we finally did it," Lindsay spoke out what both of them were thinking. "Our family members finally don't have to try and talk sense into us. Or arrange strange situations to make us realise that we belong together."

Danny laughed. "Do you remember how my mother managed to block every room in the house so we had to share mine? And of course she didn't do it on purpose at all."

Lindsay smirked as she remembered how the two of them had been forced to share a bed, but still hadn't done what Sofia had expected. "They'll be happy. Especially Lucy will be pleased. I think we really waited too long. I mean, it made no sense to her at all. Every child wants their parents to be together and I think for her, we should have just tried it."

"Yeah, maybe, but we weren't ready for it yet." Still with his arms wrapped around her waist, Danny pulled her closer. Very often, he had imagined how it would feel like to kiss her again. Now that they had done it after such a long time, he couldn't get enough of it. "But it doesn't really matter that we waited so long, right? We're together now. That's important."

"True." Lindsay snuggled into him. "We're together. Doesn't that sound awesome?"

"It does." Danny bent down to kiss her again. Like the first time, a strong warmth rushed through him immediately. He was amazed by how much he was longing for her, in fact had been longing for her all the time. Those feelings didn't surprise him though. He hadn't been lying when he had said that he had been attracted to her since their first meeting. They had simply been too afraid to give a relationship a try.

"Don said you have to make more pizzas," Lindsay said then as they parted again. "I think I shouldn't distract you here."

Danny grinned. "Ah, you aren't distracting me. I think after waiting ages for us to get together, Don surely doesn't mind."

Lindsay chuckled. "You're surely right, but you should still continue. And I danced enough, so I'll help the two of you again. We can continue this later." Offering a slight grin herself, she added, "Remember, Lucy's not at home."

"I like the way you think," Danny answered, kissing her again. More serious, he added, "But I hope you know that I don't want to put any pressure on you here. I know after Alan, you wanted to stay away from this whole relationship stuff. I don't want to rush things if that's not what you want."

Once again, he felt his cheeks reddening, and he couldn't help but curse himself for that. Danny wasn't a man who was used to blushing, especially not when interacting with a woman. But with Lindsay, things were different. He really wanted to make sure she felt comfortable in their relationship. He wanted to make her happy. He wanted to be sure that she wouldn't change her mind about them.

But the look she gave him in response said more than words. "I don't feel pressured," she told him. "I didn't want to start anything new because I didn't want to meet another man who wouldn't understand that you and Lucy are my family. It's a whole different situation with you. I want to be together with you, and I think there's no need to be overly slow with making the next steps. I mean, for years now, we're so close, and for a pretty long time now, we're in something which you could easily call a relationship. It really took us long enough to get together." It was her turn to kiss him. "And now get back to work. We'll continue this when we're back home."

Still smirking, Danny watched how Lindsay winked at him before she joined Don at the bar again. Shaking his head in amusement, he turned his attention back to work. She was right; it had taken them long enough to get together. Both of them wanted to enjoy this relationship now and one thing was clear; both of them wanted more.

They had worked at the diner for another hour before they had managed to head home. Lindsay had to admit she had been longing for this moment. Since she and Danny had kissed, she wanted nothing more than continuing this.

She was attracted to him, for a very long time by now. She thought it was sweet of him that he didn't want to rush anything, but she wanted more herself. For such a long time, she had been searching for a man who could make her happy; a man who she could have a family with.

But there hadn't been such a man. No relationship had worked out. Those men hadn't been able to accept Lucy and Danny. But Lindsay also knew that she hadn't wanted them herself. They just didn't fit to her. Because there was only one man who she wanted.

And this man was now walking next to her as they made up the stairs to their apartment. Lucy would stay at the Messers' house for the night. They would have a lot of time for themselves, and for whatever they would have in mind.

By the time they entered their apartment, the tension between them was so strong again that it was almost unbearable for her. They had already shared a night with each other; a wonderful night of which she could still remember every single detail of. She could remember how his lips felt on hers, how his skin felt against hers. She could still remember the intense connection between them, the passion, the heat that was filling every inch of her body.

As she was standing there, in the middle of their living room, watching how Danny got out of his jacket and his shoes, Lindsay wondered why she had been so stubborn, why she hadn't realised earlier what she was feeling, and what he was feeling for her.

"I love those parties but I have to say I'm always glad when they're over," Danny sighed as he joined her in the living room. It wasn't the first time she noticed that evening how fantastic he looked like in the clothes he had chosen for said party. "What do you think? You'd like a glass of wine?"

Lindsay shook her head. "No. No wine." She closed the distance between them with one step. Her hands came to rest on his shoulders as she gazed up into his eyes. A long time ago, she had learnt to read Danny like an open book. She could see the longing in his eyes, but also that he tried to hold it back. The fact that he still wanted to be careful to not rush anything made her love him even more.

She made another step, her face only a breath away from his now. "I don't want any wine. I want you," she whispered.

"Are you sure?" he asked; a question which was usually very unlikely for him.

A soft smirk lit her face. Just briefly, she held their glance. Then she allowed her lips to brush over his, her body pressing up against his. She felt how he hesitated at first, but then he couldn't hold back those strong feelings any longer. His arms wrapped around her, his lips pressed against hers more firmly, deepening the kiss. Getting lost in the passion of this kiss, Lindsay followed Danny into their bedroom. Everything around her suddenly seemed to be miles away. All that mattered was this man who was so familiar to her, yet who she was getting to know from a new side now.

* * *

The early morning sunshine was finding its way into the bedroom already as Danny woke up. Like usually, it took him a few moments to realise where he was. But then a broad smile lit his face which widened as he glanced downwards, seeing how Lindsay was still snuggling into him, deep asleep.

They had shared a wonderful night with each other; a night that had even topped this one experience a couple of years ago. It had been filled with a mix of love and passion; feelings which neither of them had experienced in a way like that before.

It felt so unreal to him. They were officially a couple now. They had admitted their feelings to each other. Lindsay was right; everyone would be happy to find out that they were together. But still it was so wonderful that Danny felt like he was dreaming.

"Are you thinking about something nice?" The amused voice of Lindsay interrupted him in his thoughts and as he glanced downwards again, Danny found his girlfriend smirking up at him. Smiling back at her, he ran a hand through her messed up, curly hair.

"Just been thinking about you," he answered. "So yeah, definitely something nice."

Moving closer, Lindsay bent forward and kissed him. Danny couldn't get enough of those kisses; no matter if they were deep and intense or soft and sweet.

"That was wonderful," she whispered then as she pulled back again.

He couldn't help but smirk at her. "What? The kiss? Or what we did last night?"

"How about both?" Lindsay asked back. He shivered as she adjusted her position, partly lying on top of him now. He couldn't understand how he had been able to stay away from her for such a long time. How he had even managed to share a bed with her lately. She was everything he wanted.

"I wonder if Don already called everyone we know and told them we're together," she said all of the sudden, chuckling at the thought.

Danny laughed. "It'd fit to him." He wrapped his arms around her naked body, running his hands up and down her bare back. She shuddered at the loving gesture. "We have to think about who we want to tell about it first. And how."

"I think the answer is easy," she replied. "Lucy should find out first. I mean, our daughter has to be the biggest matchmaker ever. She'll be happy to hear that her parents are finally sane people again."

"Yep, very true." He could resist the urge and kissed her again. "Gosh, how am I supposed to ever get enough of you?"

Lindsay grinned at him. "I take that as a compliment."

"Absolutely." Before she could react, Danny rolled them over, pinning her into the mattress. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

Once again, their lips met in a heated kiss, but this time they were interrupted as his cell started to ring. Sighing deeply, he reached for the offending object.

"I swear, if that's Don with a stupid comment, I'll kick his ass," he cursed. Without bothering to check the caller ID, he answered the phone.

"Hello Daddy," an all too familiar voice shouted into his ear.

Lindsay, who was close enough to the phone to recognize the voice of her daughter, chuckled. "Someone's not using the inside voice again," she whispered.

Danny grinned. "Hey sweetie," he greeted Lucy. "You calling to wish me and Mommy a good morning?"

"Yeah," Lucy answered. "Nonna and I just wanted to make breakfast and I thought I'd say hello. Was the party nice?" She sighed dramatically. "Can't have been too nice though because I wasn't there."

"Oh, that's true of course," Danny said with a wink at Lindsay, who tried her best not to laugh out loud. "But your Mommy and I still had a great time."

"Yeah? Are you together now?" Lucy asked the question which she still didn't seem to get tired of.

Danny exchanged a short glance with Lindsay. As she nodded, he answered, "What would you say if I said 'yes' now?"

Lucy was quiet for a moment. "Does that mean you are?"

"Yeah, Mommy and I thought that you and Don and all the others are right and that Mommy and I should be together like the parents of your friends at school," he said.

"Yay!" Lucy squealed into his ear. "Nonna, do you know what Daddy just told me? Do you know what he said?"

Laughing at their daughter's reaction, Danny turned the loudspeaker of his cell on, letting Lindsay listen to Lucy's shouting as well.

"I think we don't have to think about how to tell the others anymore," Lindsay said amused. "Now that your parents know, everyone else will as well within the next hour."

Danny chuckled. "I think so, yeah."

It had taken them a while to realise that they belonged together. Now that Danny and Lindsay were officially a couple, they understood what everyone had been talking about all the time.


	17. Conversations

**A/N: Thanks so much for the lovely feedback, and for reading as well! Special thanks to Dine89, MesserFamilyFan100 and afrozenheart412!**

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Chapter 17: Conversations**

A few weeks later:

When Lindsay woke up, the summer sun was already warming her face. She smiled as she felt Danny moving next to her. Even though they were officially a couple for a few weeks now, she still couldn't get enough of the wonderful feeling that filled her whenever she realised they were indeed a real family now.

Everyone had reacted like expected; their family members and friends had been happy to find out that they were together, but neither of them had been surprised at all. To them, it was about time that the couple had finally dared to admit their feelings to each other.

Lucy had been the happiest of course. Lindsay could understand her daughter's reaction. Of course their child had wanted her and Danny to get together. After all she didn't understand why they had been dancing around each other although they were so close.

Now this was no topic anymore; they were a real family, making plans together. Currently they were looking for a bigger apartment, the diner was doing great as well. Everything seemed to be so much easier now that they were finally a couple.

It was a soft knocking at the bedroom door that interrupted her in her thoughts then. The door was opened carefully. Lindsay tried her best to stay still and quiet and hide the smile that threatened to spread across her face.

"Mommy? Daddy?" Lucy whispered.

Danny sighed next to her. "Luce, what's up?"

Lindsay could hear how Lucy made her way over to them. As the bed moved, she knew their daughter had joined them on the bed.

"Daddy, I'm hungry," she said, trying to whisper. But whispering didn't count to Lucy's skills.

"What time is it?" Danny mumbled, rolling onto his back.

"Eight in the morning," Lucy answered. Danny's groan almost caused Lindsay to break out into laughter.

"Eight in the morning?" Danny asked disbelieving. "Why are you up at this time? It's our free Saturday."

"But eight isn't early. Usually I'm already at school at eight," Lucy argued.

Danny sighed deeply. "It's weekend, Lucy. Go back to sleep."

"I'm hungry, Daddy!" Lucy complained.

"Lucy, whisper. Your Mommy is sleeping," Danny replied, and Lindsay almost felt guilty for pretending to be sleeping.

But instead of being quiet like her father had told her, Lucy turned around and poked Lindsay's arm. "Mommy, tell Daddy that I'm hungry and need breakfast."

This request, followed by another groan of Danny made it impossible for her to stay quiet. Chuckling, Lindsay opened her eyes, shaking her head at her little family. "You two should really start your own comedy show."

"Nice that you enjoyed the show," Danny sighed, couldn't help but smile though. "Alright, Lucy. Get up and get dressed, I'll make us breakfast in a few."

"Yay!" Lucy jumped off the bed and hurried out of the bedroom.

"I could help you with making breakfast," Lindsay suggested, but Danny shook his head.

"Nah, a gentleman does that for the lady," he said with a wink.

Lindsay chuckled. "You're cute, you know that?" She laughed even more as he cringed at her words. "And no, I'll not stop calling you cute."

"Fine." Releasing another deep sigh, he got up, not without giving her a deep kiss.

Snuggling back in her bed, Lindsay listened to Danny and Lucy discussing in the kitchen. She smiled as she noticed the familiar warmth that filled her. Things were great, exactly how they were supposed to be.

It was around afternoon when Danny found time to sit down. With a sigh, he let himself fall onto the living room couch. Sometimes it seemed as if he had even more to do when the whole family was at home than when he had to work at the diner.

The diner. More and more, it was turning into a family business. Lindsay was still working for them. Lucy often showed up there and even made her homework at the diner. To him, it made work even more enjoyable.

They were living a real family life now. Danny had to admit that even though he had enjoyed his independence, he was happy to have his girlfriend and daughter around. He had settled down, and he wouldn't ever change his mind about this decision.

A smile lit his face as he then heard Lindsay's key in the keyhole. She and Lucy had left an hour ago to buy some cake and newspapers; instead of looking for apartments online, they preferred the old fashioned way.

"Newspaper time!" Lucy shouted as she hurried into the living room, carrying a whole stack of newspapers which she unloaded on the coffee table in front of her father.

"Wow, you and Mommy bought a lot of newspapers," Danny said, amused by Lucy's excitement as she grabbed the first one on top of the stack.

"Yep, and magazines as well," Lucy answered, smiling up at her mother as she joined them at the coffee table.

"Then I'm sure it shouldn't be a problem to find a new apartment really soon," Danny said. He flipped through one of the newspapers while Lucy had already opened the part with the apartments and houses. He used his chance to throw a short glance at Lindsay, and like every time when she was looking through a newspaper or magazine, she had an all too familiar expression in her eyes.

"You know, one of those articles could be written by you," he told her.

"Not really," she answered, as if being caught in the act putting her magazine away. "I'm not good enough to write for any of those magazines."

"Why not?" Danny wanted to know. "You never tried it, so how are you supposed to know that?"

"Danny, I studied years ago," Lindsay answered. "I have almost no experience. I worked for Uncle Freddie, but that wasn't a long time either. Plus it won't be easy to find something with a CV like mine."

"I don't think there's anything wrong with it," Danny replied. He knew this behaviour very well; she kept on trying to convince him that writing wasn't the right job for her. He could feel that Lindsay still dreamt of working for one of New York's newspapers though. "I also think it doesn't matter how many years passed since you studied. You have talent, that's all that's important."

"How do you want to know I have talent?" Lindsay asked him. "You never read anything I wrote."

"That's not true," Danny answered, shaking his head. "I read every article you wrote when you worked for your uncle. And why don't you just give it a try? Think up a topic you're interested in and write an article. Then Lucy and I can be your test readers and if we think it's good, you'll send it to those newspapers here. Right, Lucy?"

"Oh, Mommy's working for a newspaper then?" Lucy asked excited.

Lindsay smiled, almost a little shyly. "No, I already have a job." She sighed, turning back to Danny. "But as you won't stop questioning me, I'll write such a test article and you can read it." With another sigh, she got up. "I'll get us some cake."

"Okay, Mommy," Lucy answered.

Danny didn't respond. Instead he watched Lindsay closely as she got up and headed into the kitchen. She was angry. Like usually, she tried to his this anger in front of him, tried to play it down and keep it to herself. But by now, he knew her good enough to know that she was frustrated.

Getting up as well, Danny followed Lindsay into the kitchen. Like expected, she didn't react to him. Instead her whole body language was revealing that she was annoyed.

"What's the problem now?" he wanted to know.

"There's no problem," she answered.

Danny sighed. "Come on, let's not start this. I thought we agreed we'd be honest. If you're pissed, just say it."

"I don't want us to argue," Lindsay replied, still not looking at him.

Shaking his head, Danny closed the distance between them and stepped next to her. "We're not arguing," he said softly. "If you're mad at me, you can let me know. That's not arguing."

Once more sighing, Lindsay finally glanced up at him. "I'm not mad," she let him know. "But I don't get why you want me to work for a newspaper so badly. I have a job, or don't you need me at the diner anymore?"

Danny cringed at her question. His earlier idea had come across completely wrong to her. "I didn't mean it like that," he explained. "You know I'm grateful for your help at the diner. I love working together with you. It's fantastic. You're so good at your job and the customers all love you. But I also know that you're still dreaming of writing. It's why you moved to this city in the first place."

"But dreams can change, you know?" Lindsay answered.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, I know. We discussed that before. But tell me, if a newspaper offered you a job, would you say no to it?"

"I don't know." Lindsay shrugged.

"You don't know?" Danny raised his eyebrows, signalling her that he didn't believe in this answer.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay. Yeah, maybe I'd like to take it. But what about the diner? What about Lucy?"

"See? That's what I mean," he answered. "You'd say yes under different conditions. So it's still your dream."

"But it's not important anymore," Lindsay told him. "I love my job at the diner and I want Lucy to have someone who's there for her after school. I like it the way it's now."

"But who says you have to choose?" Danny wanted to know. "You could still write an article and send it in. You could just give it a try. You don't have to work as a full time journalist. Maybe they'd come up with something nice that'd allow you to work from here and take care of Lucy at the same time. You could also still work for the diner, maybe with less hours. I just want you to think about it. I don't say that to annoy you or because..." He was interrupted as the phone rang.

"I'll go," Lucy shouted.

"Okay," Danny shouted back. Then he turned his attention back to Lindsay. "Like I said, I don't want to force you into being a journalist. But I don't want you to forget about this dream either. Maybe write a bit to get into it again. I can be your test reader. Maybe then you'll fall in love with it again. Who knows. I know you love what you're doing now. But you really have a talent and you shouldn't ignore it."

To his relief, a light smile lit her face. "I'll think about it," she answered then. "But I'm really happy at the moment. Maybe I might write something here and there, but I also want you to accept that right now, applying for jobs isn't my highest priority. I'm happy with what we have now and I want to enjoy it instead of stressing myself with something else. I promise I will try to get into writing again, but I won't rush anything."

"Of course not." He bent down and kissed her gently. "I'm sorry if I put pressure on you, that wasn't my intention. I'm glad you're happy right now and yes, you should enjoy it. I agree." He kissed her again. "Now let's get the cake in there or Lucy will get frustrated."

Chuckling, Lindsay followed Danny back into the living room, just in time as Lucy put the phone back onto the coffee table. He didn't miss the expression in their daughter's eyes. Both of them needed to throw one short glance at Lucy to know when she was upset, and right now had to be such a moment.

"What's up, Luce?" Danny wanted to know.

"Nothing," Lucy answered, grabbing the newspaper which she had set aside.

"Nothing?" Lindsay sat down next to the young girl. "Doesn't look like that though. Who was on the phone?"

"Just someone from school," Lucy said quietly. She shrugged. "Like I said, it's nothing."

Lindsay exchanged a short glance with Danny, before she turned back to their child. "You know, you can talk to us about everything. If there's a problem, it's better to talk about it than keeping it all to yourself."

Danny nodded. "When Mommy and I have a problem, we also talk to each other. Sometimes someone else comes up with a good advice which you didn't think about before. Or it's just good to rant."

Lucy hesitated, debating whether to speak out what she had in mind or not. Then she sighed deeply. "It was Sarah. Remember I wanted to meet her tomorrow?"

Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, she wants to celebrate a birthday party, right?"

Lucy nodded. "But she said that she can't invite me because her parents said there would be too many kids." She hesitated again. "But almost everyone is allowed to come, why is one more girl too much?"

Once again, Danny glanced at Lindsay, immediately spotting an all too familiar look in her eyes. He knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Is that everything she said?" Lindsay wanted to know, trying to hold back the feelings she was dealing with.

Lucy nodded again. "Yeah, she only said that, then said she's sorry." She leaned against Lindsay. "I don't know, maybe I did something that made her angry. But I don't know what."

"Then that's her problem," Danny replied, offering a supportive smile. "If she doesn't invite you, she'll have a really boring party. And you know what? You, Mommy and I, we'll go to the zoo. Or even better to the beach. That's a lot better than Sarah's birthday party."

"Sounds nice," Lucy said. She glanced at the cake on the table. "You forgot my fork. I'll get it."

With that, she got up from the couch, closely watched by her parents. It was Danny who spoke first.

"You think it was okay to suggest the trip to the beach?" he asked. "I know it's not as good as a birthday party, but I think it's better than sitting at home and thinking about what the other kids are doing."

"I think it's a good idea," she answered. "I just wish I knew why Sarah did that." She hesitated. "I know what you're thinking now. I'm not comparing it to what they did with me. But see, I do have the feeling lately that Lucy's not really happy at school. If that has to do with the kids, I'd like to know what's going on."

"Maybe she'll say more tomorrow," he suggested. "Sometimes it's easier to talk when you do something nice than doing it right after hearing that you were kicked out of a birthday party."

She nodded. "Yeah, I guess that's a good idea."

Danny knew that Lindsay was right; he also had noticed that Lucy behaved differently lately when she came home after school. This could have no special reason, could also hint towards something both of them were only too familiar with. The trip to the beach would probably allow them to have a little conversation with their child.


	18. Of Schools And Beaches

**A/N: New chapter for you! Thanks to everyone who is reading, and of course especially big thanks for the lovely feedback! I'm grateful for every review! Special thanks to MesserFamilyFan100, afrozenheart412 and Dine89!**

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**Chapter 18: Of Schools And Beaches**

Lindsay had to admit that the phone call Lucy had received the day before had affected her a lot. Danny had made a good suggestion and she was sure that a trip to the beach would be a good way to distract their daughter.

Of course she knew she had to be careful with her own feelings and believes here. Instinctively, she had thought back to her own experiences at school. She knew how it felt like when suddenly other kids went on distance to her.

But this didn't necessarily have to be what was happening in this situation. Maybe it had just been this girl, maybe not, but she didn't want to project her own problems which she had had at school at her daughter. Yet she wanted to make sure her child felt well.

And so, while Danny made breakfast for them, Lindsay used the chance to sneak into her daughter's bedroom. The young girl was eagerly looking forward to the trip to the beach and as she entered the child's room, she found Lucy looking through her closet, half of her clothes spread on the floor.

"What are you doing here, sweetie?" she wanted to know, raising her eyebrows at the mess in front of her.

"Oh, just packing," Lucy answered with a smile. "I just cannot decide what to wear." She sighed deeply. "Mommy, can you also never decide what to wear in summer? I mean, you wanna look pretty and all."

Lindsay chuckled. "Are you expecting any boys from your school to be at the beach?"

"Boys?" Lucy stared up at her mother with a disbelieving look, but the way her cheeks flushed said more than words. "Ew, no, I surely won't dress up for boys."

Lindsay winked at her daughter. "There's nothing wrong with that, Lucy. I also had some crushes on boys when I was 8."

Lucy sighed deeply. "I have no crush. But Tommy Halliwell also wasn't invited to the party and maybe he will also go to the beach with his parents." She blushed even more. "Not that I care."

"Of course not," Lindsay replied, trying to sound as serious as possible. It was adorable to see Lucy growing up, to see how she was doing what she had done herself at this age. She knew Danny wished she would stay a little girl for as long as possible, and that he was absolutely not looking forward to the day when Lucy would have her first boyfriend. But Lindsay had to admit she enjoyed the thought of her daughter telling her she was in love one day.

"Are you still upset that you weren't invited to the birthday party?" she asked then.

Lucy shrugged. "I was a bit angry, but it's fine now. If she doesn't want me, her problem."

Lindsay joined the young girl on the floor. There were more questions she had, but she wanted to be careful. She didn't want to force her own worries onto her child, didn't want to press information out of her. Yet this was the perfect moment for her to get a better look at Lucy's current situation.

"How is school at the moment?" she wanted to know. "Are you and your friends having a great time? I remember when I went to school, my friends and I were looking forward to it because we got the chance to play with each other."

Lucy chuckled. "I know what you mean. Hannah, Mary and I also always love to meet at school."

Lindsay smiled. "You really like each other, don't you?"

Lucy nodded. "Very much. We're really besties, you know? I can talk to them about everything." She paused. "Actually they told me that Sarah is a stupid girl and I shouldn't go to her birthday party."

"Does Sarah annoy you a lot?" Lindsay asked.

"Oh yeah." Lucy groaned. "Sarah thinks she's like the coolest girl in our class. She thinks really everyone loves her. Especially the boys." She rolled her eyes. "And the worst is, a lot of people do like her indeed. They run after her like lost puppies. Maybe that's why she doesn't like me, Hannah and Mary. Because we don't find her that cool." She paused again. "Mommy, why did she actually invite me when she doesn't like us anyway? And why not Mary and Hannah?"

"I don't know, sweetie," Lindsay answered. "Some people are like that. They invite you to their parties because they think they have an advantage of that."

Nodding slowly, Lucy thought for a moment before she answered, "Guess what, Mommy? I'm glad she didn't want me to come. I said 'yes' because I thought maybe she isn't that bad after all, and that maybe I could ask her then if Mary and Hannah could come as well. Then we could have celebrated together. But she surely wouldn't have agreed to that, and someone who doesn't invite my friends surely doesn't have to invite me either."

Lindsay offered a smile at her daughter's words. "Exactly. You have your best friends, you don't need her. You girls can also be proud of you. It requires a lot of strength not to run after the cool kids, do what everyone does and put others on thrones. It's much more difficult to have an own opinion, to see how someone really is and to rather play with those kids who are friendly to you as well. Those who maybe aren't cool to others."

"Oh, the 'not so cool' kids are much nicer." Lucy nodded in agreement. "Tommy Halliwell is really friendly as well, and the others don't really talk to him. Mean, huh? I don't even know why."

"Luckily he has you," Lindsay answered, feeling proud as she listened to Lucy. She had to admit she had often feared to which kind of children her daughter would count one day. Would she be in a clique? Would she be an outsider? Would she have a small number of friends, but who would be real friends? She was glad to see that Lucy had found such friends, that she had chosen not to run after what others believed was popular, no matter if she agreed or not, and that she also turned to those who didn't have the luck to have many friends around them.

"But you know that if anyone at school is mean to you or your friends, you can always talk to me and Daddy, right?" she added then.

Lucy nodded again. "Sure." With that, she glared at the heap of clothes in front of her. "Mommy, you have to help me. I can't pick what I should wear."

"I won't ever get why girls have such a problem with picking their clothes," Danny's amused voice commented the situation.

"Daddy!" Lucy exclaimed, shaking her head at her father playfully. "You can't just sneak into here and scare us!"

Danny grinned. "Well, I just thought you were interested in me telling you that breakfast is ready."

"Yay!" Jumping up, Lucy hurried out of her room, leaving all the clothes on the floor.

Lindsay glanced at the mess, then turned back to her boyfriend. "I think she's expecting me to choose her clothes now and clean up. And pack stuff for the beach."

Chuckling, Danny knelt down next to her. "Nah, don't do that. She's old enough to clean up her room." He studied her for a moment. "Did you find out what you wanted to find out?"

"You think it was wrong to ask her about school?" Lindsay asked back, her cheeks flushing lightly. "I didn't want to pressure her or anything. I just wanted to see if everything's okay. I know, I shouldn't be overreacting."

"I wouldn't say you're overreacting, Montana," Danny answered, his grin changing into a reassuring smile. "Guess what I think? Rather ask too much than not enough. Imagine she'd really have a problem at school. Often kids don't dare to speak up. I remember I got beaten up quite often sometimes, and my mother always questioned me until I said who did it. I wouldn't have said it myself. I was scared, and I was somewhat embarrassed, too. I think it's much more important to ask your kid a couple of times if it's doing well at school than waiting for the day when school calls and informs you." He got up again, offering his hand. "And now let's have breakfast. I think someone's looking forward to a nice day at the beach."

Chuckling, Lindsay took his hand and followed Danny back into the living room. Maybe she was indeed overly careful sometimes, but she agreed with him; she rather asked too often than not often enough.

* * *

"Wow, it's so awesome here!" Lucy exclaimed as they arrived at the beach. "Gosh, look how the water is sparkling!" Jumping up and down, she followed her parents down the beach. "Can we please sit down here? Look how cool it is, and so close to the water!"

Exchanging an amused look with Lindsay, Danny chuckled. "I think my idea was great, huh?"

"Your ideas always are," she answered with a wink.

He only grinned back at her. Lindsay looked stunning again. She was wearing a thin, well fitting dress that emphasized her female curves perfectly. The wind played with her curly hair, and Danny had to admit he was more than grateful that they had agreed to be together. He had been attracted to her all the time, and there had been many moments in the past when he had had his problems with staying away from this beautiful woman.

"Will you go swimming with me?" Lucy asked then, interrupting him in his thoughts. The knowing smirk Lindsay gave him caused Danny to blush briefly. She knew him so good, and she knew exactly what he had had in mind while watching her.

"Sweetie, you have to put the suntan oil on first," he said, turning to Lucy. He knelt down on the large blanket they had spread on the sand and opened their rucksack. "Here it is."

Groaning, Lucy took the bottle from him. "But why? The sun isn't even shining that much."

"You don't want to get your skin burnt, right?" Lindsay asked their daughter. "Put the suntan oil on. The quicker you do it, the quicker it's done."

"And hurry up. Mommy and I want to get some as well," Danny added, freeing himself of his clothes.

Lucy groaned again, did like she was told though. As Danny turned back to Lindsay, he found her still standing next to him still dressed, taking in the view in front of them. He loved to catch her in moments like this, when she was so busy with her thoughts, especially when she had this dream-like expression.

"Don't you want to undress as well?" he asked her then.

She snapped out of her thoughts. A smirk lit her face then. "You just want me naked, cowboy?"

Danny grinned. "Definitely." He leaned back, studying her closely. "Get out of that dress, I wanna see what you're wearing under it."

Playfully, Lindsay rolled her eyes at him. But then she brought her fingers to the top button of her dress. Ever so slowly and teasingly, she started to unbutton it, all the time looking at him with an expression that caused him to tickle with anticipation. So badly, he wanted to grab her and rip that dress open. But the parent inside him forced him to behave.

"You like what you see?" Lindsay wanted to know with a wink, teasing him one more moment before she allowed the dress to slide down her arms and drop into the sand. Even if he had wanted to reply, Danny wouldn't have found fitting words. Too amazed he was by the sight of his girlfriend in a tight, blue bikini. A bikini which he had never seen before and which had to be the sexiest piece of fabric ever.

"I take that as a 'yes'," she said with another wink, sitting down next to him.

"You know Lucy is here as well, right?" he whispered.

Lindsay chuckled. "You're the one with the naughty thoughts," she whispered back. She gave him a look over as well and he couldn't help his own pride rising. He knew she liked what she was seeing. He liked to work out, and he knew he looked good in his bathing trunks.

"Maybe we should make sure to get some private time later," he told her, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her a little closer. It was hard to interact in front of their daughter sometimes, especially now that they had finally gotten together.

Lindsay smirked at Danny, and leaning in, she kissed him. He had to admit he was getting addicted to those kisses. There was nothing more enjoyable than wrapping his arms around her, enjoying how she snuggled into him, kissing her passionately.

"Ew!" Lucy's voice interrupted them. "Why do adults always have to kiss?" She shook her head as her parents parted again.

"One day, you will understand that kissing isn't bad," Lindsay told her, taking the bottle with the suntan oil from Lucy.

"Yeah." Danny nodded in agreement. "Plus it was you who wanted us to get together. You even said you want us to kiss."

"Well, as long as we can still go swimming." Lucy shrugged. "But I still won't ever kiss a boy. Ew, never."

"Good, I have no problem with that," Danny replied, chuckling as he caught the glance his girlfriend gave him.

"Are you ready for swimming now, sweetie?" Lindsay wanted to know.

Lucy nodded eagerly. "Oh yes!" She turned to Danny. "You'll go swimming as well?"

"Later," he replied. "The water's still so cold. I'll join you later."

"You'll have to, after all Mommy and I want you to swim together with us," Lucy replied before she turned to her mother.

"Yep, but now let's see who's getting into the water first. You or me?" Lindsay asked.

"Me!" Lucy shouted, already running.

Laughing amused, Danny watched how Lindsay followed the young girl. They had often done a lot of nice activities together. Now that they were a couple and with that a real family, their trips were even more enjoyable though, and as he watched his girls, he already thought about what they could do next.


	19. What To Do Next

**A/N: Hello! Here is a new update for you! I know I didn't post a new chapter for a while, and I hope there are still a few of you who are interested in this story! Thanks for everyone who has been reading and reviewing so far! I'm excited to see we're getting closer and closer to the 100th review! Thanks for all the support! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, MesserFamilyFan100 and Dine89!**

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**Chapter 19: What To Do Next**

"Am I best the swimmer or not?" Lucy asked, with a deep sigh letting herself fall onto the large blanket. "That was so much fun!"

"That it was," Lindsay agreed, together with Danny joining their daughter. After they had finally convinced him to go swimming as well, the little family had spent a lot of time in the water, swimming and playing.

"Gosh, who would've thought swimming can be that exhausting," Danny said, reaching into their large rucksack. "I need something to eat now."

"Me, too!" Lucy exclaimed, sitting up again. "What do we have?"

Lindsay chuckled, shaking her head in amusement. "Your appetite really is impressive. We have some sandwiches, vegetables and fruits."

"Chocolate as well?" Lucy wanted to know.

"Only when you had some vegetables first. Or fruits. You can choose," Danny told her.

Lucy groaned. "Why always stuff like that? It's no fun."

"It's healthy," Lindsay replied, handing a banana to her daughter. "Then you can have cookies."

"I bet you and Daddy also never wanted fruits and vegetables when you were kids. Why do you force them on me now?" Lucy wanted to know. "If I ever have children, they won't have to eat any fruits and vegetables. Only what they want to eat."

Lindsay bit her bottom lip to not laugh. She knew Danny had told his mother exactly the same story when he had been a child. Now that he was a father, he seemed to have realised that his believes back then hadn't been realistic at all. So would Lucy one day.

"What are we gonna do next?" Danny asked then, making himself comfortable with his sandwich. "We didn't make a sandcastle yet."

"Can we make a huge one?" Lucy wanted to know.

"Hey, you're talking to the master of sandcastles here, Luce," Danny answered with a wink. "We'll make the best sandcastle this beach has ever seen. And Mommy will help us."

"You think you two masters of sandcastles need any help?" Lindsay asked back.

"Sure, we need you." Lucy nodded. She continued eating, but in the eyes of her daughter, Lindsay could see that she had more to say. She watched the young girl for a couple of moments before she decided to ask.

"What are you thinking about, Lucy?" she wanted to know.

"Surely about how huge our sandcastle will get this time," Danny replied, taking another sandwich.

But Lucy shook her head. "Nah, I was thinking about something else." She paused. "Did I already tell you that Mary will get a baby brother soon?"

"Yeah, you told us about that already." Lindsay nodded.

"You know what?" Lucy asked, shoving the last piece of banana into her mouth. "I want a baby brother as well. Or a sister. I mean, how cool would that be? Babies are cute, even though they can be super annoying when they don't stop crying. But they're also pretty funny, and you can play with them. And when they're bigger, you can really play with them. Then I could make a sandcastle with my sibling and we could surprise you with it. Wouldn't that be cool? I think that'd be awesome." She grinned at her parents. "Will you make a baby brother or baby sister for me?"

Even though there was nothing wrong with Lucy's question, Lindsay couldn't help the fact that her cheeks started to redden. She and Danny had just gotten together; another baby hadn't been a topic at all. The thought had come to her mind before, but she had thought that it would be the best to wait for a good moment to bring it up. Both of them had grown up with siblings and Lindsay believed that it was good for children not to grow up as only children, despite what she had said right after giving birth. She had no idea what Danny was thinking though. She knew he loved being a father, but she had no idea if he was planning on having another one. Thanks to that, she had no idea how to answer their daughter's question.

But just as she opened her mouth, Danny was faster. "You think it'd be cool to have a baby sibling?" he wanted to know. When Lucy nodded eagerly, he turned to Lindsay with a light smirk. "Maybe Mommy and I should talk about it then."

"That'd be awesome!" Lucy exclaimed. "I ate my banana, can I have a cookie now and start with the sandcastle already?"

"Sure." Lindsay gave the requested cookie to Lucy. As the young girl had gotten up and headed over to where she wanted to make her sandcastle, she turned back to Danny. Even though they hadn't discussed this topic yet, she was surprised by his open opinion regarding the question whether to have another baby or not.

"Do you mind what I told her?" he wanted to know.

"No. Why?" she asked back.

Danny shrugged. "Well, we never talked about this before. But I think maybe we should. Sooner or later." He moved a bit closer. "See, I don't think we should rush things and I'm not saying we should have another child right away. But if I'm honest, I think it's not a bad idea. I mean, we grew up with siblings, and I think that was good for us."

A smile lit Lindsay's face as he spoke out what she had thought earlier. Even after all those years, she was surprised by how often they agreed or had the same thoughts. "I know it was good for us," she replied. "And I agree, I'm sure it'd be good for her. But I really want us to plan it this time. I want us to be prepared. Yeah, we handled having Lucy pretty well, too. But this time I'd like us to think first and act then."

"More than fine to me," he answered, offering a smile himself. "I'm just glad you didn't say 'no' right away." He got up. "Now let's help her with the castle."

Chuckling, Lindsay followed Danny. She didn't mind planning on having another baby sooner or later. But this time she wanted them to be prepared. Especially as they had just gotten together officially.

* * *

They stayed at the beach until afternoon. Danny's idea had been good for all of them; he, Lindsay and Lucy had had a great time. It amazed Danny how they had become a real, perfect family now that he and Lindsay were a couple. He had always believed that being together wouldn't change much for Lucy. He had been wrong.

And then there had been the baby discussion. Danny wasn't surprised by Lucy's interest in a sibling. He had expected the topic to come up sooner or later. He and Lindsay were a couple, and to Lucy it only made sense that they would have more children. Just like the parents of her friends at school.

It was the beeping of his cell that interrupted him in his thoughts.

"You got a text message," Lindsay told him.

Danny nodded. "Can you read it for me?"

Lindsay raised her eyebrows at him. "Are you sure?"

Her surprised expression caused Danny to laugh. "I'm driving here. And I don't have any secrets, have a look."

Nodding, she reached for the phone. "It's your Mom," she answered, opening the message. "She's asking if we want to come over for dinner."

"Yay!" Lucy shouted from the back seats. "Please, can we visit them? Nonna always makes such awesome dinner! Please?"

Lindsay laughed. "I think there we have our answer. Or do you mind?"

"Not at all." Danny shook his head. "At least we don't have to cook then."

A couple of minutes later, the little family arrived at the Messers' house. It never failed to amuse Danny how much his parents, especially his mother, loved Lindsay and Lucy. They had barely entered the house when they were already showered in embraces and kisses.

"Gosh, Ma," Danny said as Sofia wrapped her arms around him and planted a kiss onto his cheek. "I'm no little boy anymore."

Sofia playfully glared at him. "But you're my son and you have to go through this." With a wink, she added, "If you and Lindsay have a boy one day, I'm sure she'll do the same with him. And he will complain, just like you."

Lindsay laughed. "Boys can be so whiny, right? Sofia, do you need any help with dinner?"

Sofia sighed. "Sweetie, you're my guest. My husband is supposed to help me, how many more times am I supposed to tell you that?"

"But what do you do every time you visit us?" Lindsay wanted to know with a wink. "Lucy and I will at least set the table."

"Can't I just play in the backyard?" Lucy asked, pouting lightly.

"Be a good girl and help me, okay? Then you can even choose who will sit where," Lindsay suggested.

"Okay," Lucy sighed, following her mother.

As Danny turned his attention back to Sofia, he found her watching him with a knowing grin.

"Why are you giving me this 'told you so' look, Ma?" he asked, following his mother into the kitchen. "You know, it's rude to make fun of you son."

Sofia laughed. "I'm not making fun of you. But you are right; I told you so. I knew you and Lindsay belong together. I always knew you had feelings for each other. You were just too stubborn to admit it. And now look at what a lovely couple you are. Lucy also seems to be even happier than before."

"Yeah, yeah," Danny answered, shaking his head. His mother had been one of their biggest supporters; so badly, she had wanted them to admit their feelings and give a relationship a chance. "But you also get that we needed our time, right? It's not always that easy. We were friends, and we didn't want to ruin that."

"I know, I know," Sofia replied. "I also didn't want to sound like a know-it-all. I'm just glad you got together."

She turned to the pots on the stove, but Danny felt that his mother had more in mind. He knew her too good. Sofia was a kind and supportive woman, but she also had certain wishes and expectations. He had a suspicion of what she had in mind and he didn't have to wait long until she spoke up again.

"So what will you do next now that you're together?" she wanted to know. "I think Lucy would surely be happy if she had a sibling."

"Ma!" Danny stared at his mother in disbelief. He had suspected she would hint towards this topic, but not that she would ask him directly like that. "I think that's mine and Lindsay's decision. We just got together."

"Oh, come on, in fact you were together all the time." Sofia shook her head at her son. "You just were too stubborn to realise it. I also didn't say you should have another child now, but maybe in a few years. Or in a few months?"

"Or tomorrow?" Danny rolled his eyes. "Ma, I know you love to have grandchildren and that you want to have a whole bunch of them. But don't pressure us, okay? This is about us and about what we want."

"I know," Sofia repeated. Once again, she turned back to cooking and he couldn't help but roll his eyes at the knowledge that his mother had even more she wanted to discuss with him. Sometimes he cursed himself for his ability to feel when people around him wanted to talk to him about something. And for his wish to find out what they had in mind.

"What is it, Ma?" he asked then.

Sofia smirked at him. "Oh, nothing special. I just talked to Mrs. Anderson from across the street, and she told me about something which I found interesting."

"Why would you tell me what you and Mrs. Anderson talked about?" Danny wanted to know.

Sofia's smirk grew. "I thought you and Lindsay were looking for a new apartment? For a bigger one?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Sofia shrugged. "I know you're a stubborn man and that you love your Manhattan. But Mrs. Anderson told me that someone wants to sell a house not far away from here. I immediately wondered if you weren't interested. I could imagine Lucy would love to grown up in a house with a nice backyard and a playground not far away. Just like her parents." She sighed. "Don't get mad again, I know I'm not supposed to put pressure on you and I also don't want to control you when you decide to move back to Staten Island. I know you love this whole Manhattan life style and I also know your diner is there, but see...you have a family now. Maybe you'll want more children one day. Maybe a beautiful, little house in the neighbourhood would be nicer than a tiny, expensive apartment in the city."

Somehow, his instinct had told Danny that his mother would bring up a topic like that, yet he was surprised. Not by his mother's idea though but by his own feelings regarding it.

"What do you think?" Sofia asked then.

Danny shrugged. "No idea. I never saw myself moving away from Manhattan. But then again a lot changed since I moved back then." He hesitated. "Do me a favour, Ma, don't misunderstand me now. I have to talk to Lindsay about this. I also don't know if I like this idea or not. But could you tell me the address? Maybe the house is worth a look."

"Really?" Sofia asked, obviously not prepared for his interest.

He nodded. "Yeah. I just want the address. Don't expect too much."

"Don't worry," she answered, once again with her knowing look.

As Danny wrote down the address, he couldn't deny that he found Sofia's idea interesting. He could imagine Lindsay would like to move into a house. He had no doubt Lucy would love that as well. He would need his time to think about it, but at least they could pay this house a little visit.


	20. Of Houses And Summer Parties

**A/N: Thanks so much again for the lovely reviews and of course for reading! Special thanks to afrozenheart412, MesserFamilyFan100, RandomTVFan30 and Dine89!**

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**Chapter 20: Of Houses And Summer Parties**

"I so love visiting my grandparents. No matter if those here or those in Montana," Lucy exclaimed as she sat on the back-seat, still hyped up after their visit at the Messers'.

Lindsay chuckled. "No surprise. You get spoiled all the time. You always get whatever food you want and everyone plays with you. I'd love that as well." She turned to Danny and with a wink added, "I'm surprised your Daddy isn't fat."

Danny sighed playfully, a smirk tearing at the corners of his mouth. "Well, did you know that grandparents always spoil the grandchildren?"

"Oh, but you eat tons as well," Lucy said, causing Lindsay to laugh.

"Funny, but you're not any better, Montana," Danny told his girlfriend. "I think we just have awesome genes."

"That we do." Lindsay made herself comfortable in her seat, throwing a short glance at Danny and Lucy. Indeed they had had a great time, and ever since the two of them had agreed to be an official couple, the Messers and also the Monroes had stopped questioning them and simply had gone over to spoiling them as well.

In fact Lindsay had to admit she wished to visit the two families more often. Danny had already agreed that they should spend more of their vacations over in Montana. He loved the Monroes ever since he had realised that they believed he was the perfect man for their daughter.

When it came to visiting his own parents, he was a little more hesitant. Not because he didn't want to visit them but because he knew that every time they did so, especially his mother would shower him with love. Something deep inside him still was the teenage boy who thought it was uncool to be kissed by his parents.

She snapped out of her thoughts as the car suddenly stopped.

"Why do we park here?" Lucy wanted to know, peeking over the driver's seat to see what her father was doing.

"I think that's the address," he said.

"What address?" Lindsay wanted to know.

Danny smirked back at her. "Surprise." As he caught the look she was giving him, he sighed and added, "Why don't you ever let me surprise you?" He handed the small paper he was holding to her. "My Ma gave me this address. She said she heard that the owners want to sell it. She thought maybe we'd like to have a look at it."

"Oh, will we buy a house?" Lucy asked excitedly.

"Yeah, will we buy a house, Danny?" Lindsay asked, raising her eyebrows at him.

Danny shrugged. "Well, we're planning on moving anyway. So I thought why not look for a house? Come on, Montana, we could at least have a look at it. That doesn't cost anything."

"Oh yes, can we have a look at it, please?" Lucy wanted to know.

It was Lindsay's turn to sigh. "Fine. Yeah, let's have a look at it."

"Yay!" Lucy exclaimed, already getting out of the car.

Lindsay couldn't deny she wasn't much into surprises. She had agreed that it was a good idea to move into a bigger apartment; after all Danny's place hadn't been supposed to offer enough space for them all. But a house? Buying a house? This thought hadn't even come to her mind so far.

As she left the car and the chance of a first look at it though, she couldn't deny her attention was caught instantly. The house wasn't big; she assumed it was big enough for them and possibly even one or two more children, for the case they really agreed to expand their family. It had a beautiful front garden. In fact it looked like the perfect definition of a classic house in the suburbs.

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything," Danny whispered as they made their way to the house. "I thought we could just check it out. It sounded good to me."

"It's fine," Lindsay replied. Once again, she raised her eyebrows at the realisation that the owners didn't seem to be anywhere. "Are you sure we're allowed to just go in here and have a look?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, my Ma called her neighbour and she said it's fine. The Matthews who own this house just want us to give them a call if we're interested."

Lindsay still didn't seem convinced. Her confusion increased as Danny pulled out a key and opened it. "I think your Ma didn't just suddenly remember that the Matthews want to sell the house, huh?"

Danny laughed. "You know how my Ma is. When she gets an idea that's good in her opinion, she tries everything to convince people from it. She wouldn't have stopped if I hadn't agreed that we'd at least have a look."

The door had just been opened as Lucy had already rushed inside. Still a little unsure, Lindsay followed Danny. They made their way through a short hallway that led them right into a large living room. Lindsay's eyes widened as she spotted the large windows across the room, having a perfect view at the large backyard.

"Wow, the rooms are really big up here!" Lucy's voice shouted from upstairs. "If we move in here, can I choose my room by myself?"

Danny grinned. "I guess the house has a fan already. What does Mommy say?"

"Mommy says she wants to have a proper look at it first," Lindsay replied. Nodding, Danny grabbed her arm. She didn't miss the expression that appeared in his eyes as Danny took in the different rooms with her, especially as they entered the backyard. She could understand his reaction; the house looked a lot like the one of his parents. Even though Danny would never admit it, he had loved to grow up in a house in the suburbs. Manhattan had been his home ever since he had moved out, but this didn't change all the good memories linked to Staten Island.

"It's really a good house I guess," he said as they returned to the living room. "I wonder if we'll get Lucy out of that backyard ever again. I hope she doesn't try to pay the fishes a visit in the pond."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she did," Lindsay replied. Gently grabbing Danny's hands, she made him stop in the middle of the large, currently empty room. Glancing up at him, she couldn't help but smile. It never failed to amaze her how good she knew him by now, how easily she could read his mind. "You already made a decision, didn't you?"

"What, me?" Danny's eyes widened, but his expression had already answered her question. "Nah, like I said, I just wanted to check it out. My Ma wouldn't have stopped talking if I hadn't agreed."

"And if you're honest to yourself, you'd love to move back to Staten Island, right?" Lindsay continued, knowing perfectly well what else he wanted to tell her. "Lucy's going to school here, so she could actually go to school with her friends or visit them afterwards. Your parents are here and could babysit her more often. The area is a lot quieter than the middle of Manhattan and it's a lot safer for a child to grow up in the suburbs. Plus you want her to grow up in a lovely house with a big backyard just like you did. Am I right?"

Her smile grew into a smirk at the disbelieving look he gave her in response. "You're creepy," Danny said, and to her delight, his cheeks flushed softly. "Fine, yeah. Is it bad of me to think like that?"

Shaking her head, Lindsay wrapped her arms around his waist. "No, it isn't. Not at all. Because I love the way you think about us as a family and about our future." She kissed him gently. "I guess now's the time when you expect me to tell you what I think of the house?" She chuckled as he nodded. "Your Ma gave you the number of the Matthews, right? Because I guess we have to call them later."

"Really?" Danny stared at her in surprise, not sure if he could trust in his own ears. "You think we should do it?"

"Why not?" Lindsay asked back. She pulled him closer. "We're a family now, right? Maybe one day we want to have more kids. Of course buying a house is a big step, but I think it's a step we should make."

Once again, Lindsay chuckled at Danny's obvious excitement. They had agreed to move. Maybe a house on Staten Island was indeed a better choice than another, more expensive and still too small apartment in Manhattan.

* * *

A week later:

When they had agreed to buy and move into the house on Staten Island, Danny had already expected this would mean stress. He was glad that Lindsay was good at organising; without this talent, their whole move would probably have turned into one big chaos.

Still he felt rather uncomfortable when he entered his apartment after a long day at the diner and found it filled with boxes. He couldn't imagine how they would ever be able to get all their stuff to the house. Fortunately they still had time to get this done; there was no need to hurry.

"I see you got a lot done again today," Danny said impressed as he made his way through the living room. Indeed he could find a couple of more boxes, a couple of more closets were empty now.

"Yeah," Lindsay answered, hints of pride in her voice. She was still helping him at the diner during the mornings and so far, she had done the most packing. She had claimed that Lucy was helping her, but he knew their daughter; he assumed she caused more stress with helping than she would if she did nothing.

Danny couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he allowed himself a moment to take in his girlfriend's appearance. He loved to see her dressed in whatever she chose. But he couldn't deny that very short pants and a tank top caused his heart to race and his blood to boil. She was a sexy woman and it was hard for him to keep his hands off of her. She was his, and once again he caught myself by mentally agreeing with their families and friends; it had been stupid of them to wait for such a long time until they had finally admitted their feelings to each other.

"I'm so glad when we moved into that house finally," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close. The full body contact instantly caused him to shudder and the smirk that lit Lindsay's face told him she knew exactly what she was doing to him. "You know, I'm looking forward to christening this big bedroom with you."

She chuckled, in a way that sent new shivers up and down his back. "You and your naughty mind," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him.

"Mommy, Daddy, look what I forgot!" Lucy exclaimed them, causing them to separate instinctively. "I'm so silly, Mrs. Smith told me to give that to you yesterday already, but I was so distracted and all."

"Oh Lucy." Lindsay took the paper from her.

"I didn't do anything bad, it's just an invitation for the summer party at school," Lucy said.

"A summer party again?" Danny asked. "How come it feels like we just were at one?"

Lucy shrugged. "No idea, because it's only done once a year. So will you come as well? Both of you?"

"Of course we'll come to the big, important summer party," Danny answered with a teasing wink. "You can inform Mrs. Smith."

"Yay!" With that, Lucy hopped back into her room. Chuckling, Danny turned back to Lindsay.

"Looks like it's party time again," he said. There was more he had to add but words failed him as he saw the expression in his girlfriend's eyes. She hadn't said a single word yet and he could understand why.

"What's wrong?" Danny wanted to know, gently taking the paper from her, causing Lindsay to look up at him. "Hey, what upset you so much?"

"Nothing, it's fine." Shaking her head, Lindsay tried to offer a smile. This attempt though made her look even more upset to him. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders wordlessly, Danny led her over to the near couch and made her sit down with him.

"What's upsetting you all of the sudden?" he asked again. "And don't say nothing. You should know me better by now. You know you can talk to me."

Lindsay nodded slowly. He watched how she stared down at her hands, trying to find the right words to explain what had caused her sudden change of mood.

"I know it's silly, but those parties at school...I always feel uncomfortable when we go there," she admitted. "It's idiotic, just ignore me."

"As if I would." Danny tightened his arm around her. "Why do you feel uncomfortable when you go to those school parties?"

Shrugging, she offered a shy, insecure smile. "It always brings back memories, you know? When I see all those little kids with their friends...those little groups of laughing girls, doing all the games, showing parents around, it...well, it just reminds me of me and my friends. I don't get why I'm always having this problem at school parties. But I can't really do anything against it." She sighed. "Told you it's silly."

"It's not silly at all." Gently lifting her chin, he made her look up at him. "I can fully understand you, okay? I'm surprised you didn't tell me before."

"There was only one summer party so far, and back then we weren't together yet. I just said I felt a little sick, you remember?" Lindsay replied.

Danny nodded. He had completely forgotten about that. Back then already, he had wondered if she had really just had a headache or if something else had been bothering her. "Would you maybe like to stay at home?" he wanted to know.

"No, of course not." She shook her head firmly. "Lucy loves those summer parties. Both parents are supposed to go with her. It's okay, really. I'm just not looking forward to it. But I have to deal with it. We have a child, I can't avoid schools and happy kids. I have to learn how to handle that." Snuggling into him, she added, "And hey, I have you for distraction."

"Exactly." He smiled back at her. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Knowing Lucy, she'll probably help with some of the activities or will help selling food or drinks. She's so funny when she gets all excited."

"Just like her parents," Lindsay answered with a wink. Releasing another soft sigh, she said, "Thank you for listening."

"Hey, I'm your boyfriend. That's my job," Danny replied. "Means you're welcome."

Lindsay offered a true smile, nodding. "So, what do you say? Are you hungry? I made dinner already."

"Do you really need an answer for that?" Danny asked back. "I always want dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast."

Danny smiled as Lindsay laughed at his words. He was glad she had talked to him so openly. He would make sure she would enjoy the summer party as well.


	21. Just A Little Support

**A/N: Hey! I hope you're still remembering this fic. ;) Here's a new chapter for you, I hope you'll enjoy it! Thanks so much for reviewing and for reading! Special thanks to MesserFamilyFan100, webdlfan, RandomTVFan30, Dine89 and afrozenheart412!**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Just A Little Support**

Danny had been unsure about the summer party at Lucy's school. He liked such parties, especially because their daughter got so excited about them. But he knew that Lindsay wasn't looking forward to it at all, was only going there because of Lucy.

He had had no idea how she had been feeling like a year ago. For some reason, he had believed her when she had said that she just didn't feel so well. He should have know her better, should have seen through her.

Now he knew why she wasn't much into such parties at school though, and he hoped it didn't bother her too much. He could understand her reactions, but also knew that she was embarrassed by herself.

Even more he wanted to offer support. She was a strong woman, she had to deal with a lot in the past. He didn't want her to feel embarrassed. And he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable either.

The moment they arrived at school, a very excited Lucy took over. Even though either Danny or Lindsay picked her up every day, the young girl felt the urge to show her parents around the whole school. Everything had to be explained in grant details until Lucy, with a proud expression, made her way over to the place where she would be selling lemonade to guests.

"You can just have fun here, I have work to do," she said, waving at her parents.

Danny chuckled. "I knew she'd sign up for something like that. It's so her. Reminds me a lot of her Mommy," he whispered into Lindsay's ear.

Lindsay offered a little smile. "I'm happy she has so much fun with that. Yeah, I liked to sign up for such stuff as well." She blushed softly.

Danny winked at her. "And there's nothing wrong with that." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Even though she hadn't said much yet, he could feel that she wasn't feeling very comfortable. So far, he didn't want to push and right ask her about it though.

"You'd think we know much about this school, but still it impressed me how big it is," he said then.

"But you went to this school as well," she answered, raising her eyebrows at him.

"I know," Danny answered. "But still...remember how long ago that was. It seems like a lot has changed back then." He winced. "Some teachers are still here though. I wonder if they remember me. And if that's a good thing."

To his joy, Lindsay chuckled. "Ah, come on, I know you haven't been as much of a trouble maker as you try to make everyone believe."

"I also didn't catch the teachers' attention because I was such an awesome guy though," he replied. "I often got into trouble."

"Yeah, because kids beat you up for no reason," she said, her expression turning darker. Mentally, he cursed himself. He had wanted to distract her a bit, not lead the conversation right into the wrong direction.

"You don't have to try and distract me," Lindsay added then, much to his surprise. Then again both of them had already gotten used to the fact that somehow they were able to read each other's minds.

"I just don't want to pull you down even more," Danny let her know.

Lindsay sighed. "That's sweet of you, but let's be honest; it's me who should calm down here. Isn't it crazy of me to feel bad while watching kids having fun at school? I mean, you even went to this school, and you had a hard time either. I'm sure it's not nice for you to come to a place where you've been bullied for so many years."

"I guess that's a different story." Tightening his arm around her shoulders, he led her over to a bench near the large playground. From here, they had a good view at the school and even at Lucy, who was happily selling her lemonade.

"Why's it a different story?" Lindsay asked then, like he had expected.

"You just can't compare this," Danny tried to explain. "See...yeah, I had a hard time at school. It's not nice when your class mates shove you around, beat you up for no reason. But I didn't have problems all the time. I also had friends. Like Don for example. We did a lot of nice stuff together here. Especially when we became teenagers, it got a lot easier. And I did get myself into trouble as well, because you know me. I love to do things I'm not supposed to do. I'm surprised my parents have more grey hair."

Lindsay smiled lightly. "So in fact you don't only have bad memories when you think of school?" As he shook his head, she added, "I shouldn't either. I had a great time with my friends. Just like you said; before this happened to them, I loved to go to school. I loved to play with them every day, to sit with them, to go to the cafeteria with them, even to do school work with them. Don't you think I'm totally overreacting with feeling so uncomfortable here? Lucy's in the age where she's inviting friends, especially now that we're about to move into our house. I can't always feel uncomfortable because they remind me of my friends. It happened so many years ago."

"Aren't you a little hard to yourself here?" Danny wanted to know. "I get what you're trying to say. But...see, this was a traumatic experience. You witnessed how those best friends of you were killed. You had a great time with them at school. And suddenly you not only witnessed something brutal like that, you also were alone at school. They started to avoid you and bully you. I don't even want to imagine what you had to go through. Personally I'm not surprise this is still bothering you so much. You can't just get over something like that, especially because you mostly try to suppress it."

"I went to see a therapist back then," she told him.

"I know you did, but I also know you only went to see him a few times and the refused to talk so your parents cancelled it. I'm no therapist myself, but I think it can't be good if you just refuse to think about it," he said.

Once again, she sighed. "And what do you want to tell with that now? That I'm supposed to go and see a therapist again? I won't do that. I don't want to tell a stranger about how I was hiding in a bathroom while I heard how my friends were shot by a psycho. I don't want her to tell me that I shouldn't feel guilty, that they wouldn't want that, that I should face my fears with being around Lucy and her friends because it'd help me to deal with my own memories. I know that all myself, I don't need a stranger to tell me that and then ask me to pay them money for that."

"I wasn't going to suggest that," he said as she made a short break. "I know you don't want to go and see a therapist and I'd never force you to do that. But still I think you shouldn't refuse thinking about your friends. I can see why you don't want to think of that night at the diner anymore. Why should you constantly remind yourself of how your best friends were shot? But I have the feeling you also refuse to think about the good times with them."

"You want to tell me I refuse to remember by friends?" Lindsay asked back. In her eyes, he could see a mix of pain and anger. He didn't want her to feel worse. But he also didn't want her to find a way how to back out of this conversation again.

"That's not what I wanted to say either," Danny replied. "Not the way you understood it at least. I do think though that you try not to think about them too much because it automatically brings back all the bad memories as well."

"Which is the case, so what's your point?" Lindsay wanted to know.

It was Danny's turn to sigh. "I'm not trying to attack you here, okay?" Gently, he ran a hand through her hair. "I'm trying to help you. Like I said, I'm no therapist. But...maybe you should start thinking of the good times you had with your friends. I know that you won't ever be able to forget about what was done to them. But maybe if you try and remind yourself of the good times, one day it'll be easier for you to think of them, because what happened at the diner might not be the first thing that comes to your mind. Of course I don't know if that's going to work at all. But...well, maybe it's better than not thinking about them at all." He paused. "Maybe you could tell me about them?"

"What should I tell you?" Lindsay asked. To his relief, she didn't seem as annoyed by his idea anymore as she had seemed to be earlier.

"I told you all the stuff Don and I did when we were younger," he said. "Maybe now it's your turn. I know you so well. I know who my Montana is. But I don't know much about how you were as a kid. Yeah, we visited your parents, but they didn't tell me much either. You know how I was as a kid. Now I'd like to know how you were as well."

Staring at some random spot in front of her, she considered his idea for a couple of moments. He watched her as she let her eyes wander across the playground before she turned her attention back to him.

"You think it'd be good for me to talk about them?" Lindsay wanted to know then.

Danny shrugged. "I can't promise that, but I could imagine so." He placed a soft kiss onto her cheek. "I'm here to listen, okay? Don't think you shouldn't feel the way you do. Like I said, you had to go through a traumatic experience. There's nothing wrong with crying when you think of your friends. I really hope that one day, you can think of them without feeling bad though." He kissed her again. "And go to school parties without feeling uncomfortable."

"You're too sweet for words, you know that?" Lindsay smiled at him warmly. "Even if your idea doesn't work so well, I think I'd like to talk to you about my friends. And you have no idea how sweet it's of you to try and cheer me up and to offer support."

"Well, that's what you do when you love someone," Danny answered with a wink. "Now what else can I do to distract you?"

Lindsay shrugged. "Maybe we could go and help Lucy to earn some more money for the school with her lemonade. I heard they're trying to collect money for a little trip."

"Her class wants to go on a trip?" Danny wanted to know.

"That's what she said earlier," Lindsay replied. "They don't know where they want to go to yet."

"I hope they won't pick a place too far away from here," Danny said. The thought of Lucy going on a trip with her class didn't seem too appealing to him.

Lindsay chuckled. "Hey, you've been on such trips as well, and didn't you say we shouldn't worry so much all the time?" She blushed again at the surprised look he gave her. "Well, of course I'll be very nervous. But I know how much fun those trips are and I think we have to handle that nervousness."

He smiled back at her proudly; he couldn't help himself. She was working on herself so much and she never failed to fascinate him with that.

"Being parents isn't easy, huh?" he said. "But it's wonderful to be a family." He kissed her onto the cheek.

"Yes, it's indeed wonderful," she agreed, snuggling into him.

The couple remained sitting on the bench for another few minutes. Then Danny and Lindsay made their way over to Lucy. It seemed like the summer party was turning out to be nicer than expected.


	22. A New Friend

**A/N: Here's a new update for you! I hope you're still enjoying this story! Thanks so much for reading! Thanks also for reviewing! Special thanks to MesserFamilyFan100, RandomTVFan30, Daisy1966 and afrozenheart412!**

* * *

**Chapter 22: A New Friend**

He had been watching his best friend in amusement for a while. Don had always claimed that he knew Danny better than he knew himself. After all he had always been aware of the feelings he had for Lindsay.

But Danny was certain that he knew Don even better. And right now, he was watching his best friend at his desperate attempts of flirting with a woman who he had a crush on since she had walked into the diner for the first time.

Seemed like a certain story was repeating itself. Danny smirked at this fact. Jess Angell was a young saleswoman in a book store not far away from the diner, coming over more frequently lately; much to Don's delight, who was trying his best always to be the one who took her orders.

Those scenes were always amusing to watch. Danny had to admit he had gotten concerned because Don hadn't had any real contact to women in a long while. The diner was of course time consuming, but still Danny was convinced that his friend needed some distraction from work, especially when it was a woman who had caught his attention like that.

"See you tomorrow then," Don said with a broad smile as Jess turned to leave again. Danny waited until his friend had returned into the kitchen before he rolled his eyes.

"What is it?" Don wanted to know.

"What is it?" Danny repeated. "What do you think? How old are you, Don? Shouldn't you be able to say more than 'see you tomorrow then'."

"Why?" Don asked, the expression in his eyes telling him that he was already seeing an uncomfortable conversation ahead. "That's what'll happen; I'll see her tomorrow when she comes over to get her lunch again."

"You do know you could just use that moment to say 'or would you like to go out for dinner tonight with me' instead?" Danny asked back.

It was Don's turn to roll his eyes. "She's just a customer, she's not interested in me."

"Oh Don." Danny sighed. "Why are you so stubborn? I'm really sorry if I was as annoying because of not seeing what was going on between Lindsay and me as you are now."

Don raised his eyebrows. "I'd say that was a whole different situation," he replied. "The two of you had already slept with each other, you have a child together, you're around each other all day long. Everyone knew you belong together. You were basically in a relationship for all those years anyway. With me and Jess, it's a whole different story. She comes here to get her lunch and then she leaves again."

"And what about all the conversations you have in between her coming in and her leaving again?" Danny sighed once more. "Come on, Don. We're no kids anymore. Do you like her or not? And no lies. We're adults. I won't go and be all 'haha, Don is in love, Don is in love'."

"I'd kick your ass if you did that," Don replied, not without a tiny smirk of himself. "Fine. Yeah, I like her. She seems to be a really interesting woman. She's very attractive as well. I'd like to go out with her. But...see, I don't want to push this too much. And...well, I'm just a bit hesitant."

"Still because of Aiden?" Danny wanted to know. As Don lowered his eyes, he nodded. "I can see that you're still hurt by how this relationship didn't work out, but that was so many years ago. Don't you think you should open your heart to another woman again? You can't stay a single man forever, Don."

"And what am I supposed to do then?" Don asked back. "Maybe she runs off right when I ask her if she'd like to go out for dinner with me."

Danny shook his head. "One of you two has to make the first step sooner or later. Probably she has the same fears. Why would you be interested in her? Just ask her. Risk her running off. I doubt she'll do it. She wouldn't be looking at you like that whenever you're talking to each other. Believe me."

"Says the one who didn't see the tension between himself and the mother of his child for so many years," Don replied.

Danny chuckled. "That topic will never get old, huh?" Then he turned serious again. "You should just do it. I understand you, okay? But you should calm down a bit, Don. Give it a try."

Don nodded slowly. Then he sighed himself. "Good. I'll ask her tomorrow."

"And don't back off so easily," Danny added. "Why should she not want you? You're a nice guy. You're loyal and you'd do everything for the people you care for."

"Yeah, but she doesn't know that yet," Don replied.

"Even more of a reason to get to know you," Danny said. "Come on, don't try to find excuses. You'll ask her tomorrow and you'll see that she'll be interested. And then you owe me something."

Don laughed. "I owe you something? Hey, I was the one who kept on pushing you to realise that you and Lindsay belong together."

"Along with our parents and everyone else," Danny answered with a grin. "But still it was us who made the step then." He ran a hand through his short hair. "We can be such stubborn man obviously."

"Seems like that," Don agreed. "How is the move doing? Are you in need of a pair of helping hands again?"

"Always," Danny replied. "If you have nothing better to do, it'd be cool if you could come over again. Even if you're just there to keep Lucy entertained. She wants to help us all the time, but you know how that turns out. She's fantastic at creating a lot of extra work."

"I can imagine," Don laughed.

Danny watched his friend as he got back to work. He and Lindsay had often discussed how much Don finally needed a woman by his side again. Now they were the ones in the pushing position. Hopefully he would make the step now.

* * *

"Mommy, can I help you maybe?" Lucy asked as she returned from the backyard into the living room. "I could help you with painting the walls."

Lindsay shook her head. "Thank you, sweetie, but I'm fine. You really don't have to help, just play a bit. It's weekend after all."

Lucy sighed. "You just think I'm not able to do it."

"Nah, we never would," Danny replied amused.

Lucy sighed deeply. "Can I get me some cookies?" she asked.

"Sure," Lindsay answered. In amusement, she watched how their daughter hurried into the kitchen before she turned back to Danny. "She wants to help us so much. Not many children would do that."

"Yeah," Danny sighed. "But the problem is if she helps us, she might just create so much extra work that we'll need double the time. I don't know about you, but I really want to properly move in here finally."

"Me, too." Lindsay nodded in agreement. "Will Don come around again today?"

Danny shrugged. "Actually he wanted to meet Jess again." He grinned. "See, it was good I smacked some sense into him again. He'd have never asked her out for dinner otherwise. I knew she'd say yes and that she'd agree to meet him again."

Once again, Lindsay nodded. "Yeah, they fit together very well. She seems to be really interested in him. I'm glad about that, because he really deserves a woman who cares for him. A woman who doesn't just expect some fun. Don loves to see himself in the single man role who can date a woman here and there, but we all know that in fact, he just wants to have a decent relationship." She winked. "Reminds me of a certain someone."

Danny laughed. "We all have so much in common, huh?" He wanted to add more as the sound of the doorbell interrupted them.

"I'll go!" Lucy shouted.

Lindsay chuckled. "Looks like she finally found a job to do." Putting the paintbrush away, she stepped down from the ladder. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of their guests though; Don had been expected, but not his companion.

"Look, Don took Miss Angell with him," Lucy spoke out the obvious, grinning all over her face.

"You don't have to call me Miss Angell," the woman with the long, dark hair said, with a warm expression in her eyes. "Just say Jess to me."

"Well, I hope that counts for us, too," Danny said, being the first one who recovered from the surprise visit. "I'm Danny, that's Lindsay. Welcome to our not so homey house."

Jess laughed. "Well, I think it looks beautiful already."

"That's nice of you to say," Lindsay replied, making her way over to the other woman. She offered her hand. "It's very nice to meet you." She tried to bite back at laughter as she heard how Danny quietly asked Don is that was his opinion of a decent date. "I hope our dear friend didn't ask you into helping us here."

Jess smiled. "No, he just said he wanted to come over later and I asked if you needed an extra pair of hands. He wanted to talk me out of it, but he's been mentioning the two of you a lot and I wanted to meet you finally." She winked. "And if you're in need of some extra helping hands, I'd like to offer them."

"That's really nice of you," Lindsay answered, surprised and delighted by the open behaviour of Don's date. "But I think before I get back on this offer, I'd like to offer you something nice to drink. I also baked us a cake earlier, so if you'd like to have a slice, we better hurry before the guys eat all of it."

"Very nice of you to assume that," Danny teased. "Don and I will get upstairs, I'm really in need of some help in the bathroom."

Lindsay nodded in response. Then she turned back to Jess, relieved seeing that the other woman didn't seem to be feeling uncomfortable at all, despite not knowing her and Danny. "So, let's go to the kitchen then. It's one of the few rooms that's pretty much set up already," she said.

Jess nodded. "The kitchen is the most important room of the house anyway." She followed Lindsay, pausing a moment before she added, "I hope you don't mind that I asked Don to meet you guys. He's mentioned a lot how close you are. And I know how it's like to be moving. Every help is usually needed."

"That's very true," Lindsay agreed. "And I don't mind at all. Actually it's a nice surprise. I was just worried he talked about us too much or convinced you to help us."

Jess smiled. "No, Don's really a gentleman." Her cheeks reddened a tiny bit. "I'm glad he finally asked me if I wanted to go out with him. I wanted that all the time, but I didn't know if I should ask him or not."

"I know the feeling," Lindsay replied. "Danny and I also needed our time to make that step." She chuckled. It would be interesting to share all those stories with Jess when they knew her a bit longer. "Don's a wonderful man, he's very loyal and sweet. You can fully rely on him."

"That's how he comes across," Jess agreed, her smile widening. Lindsay had already liked the other woman when she had seen her and Don talk for the first time. She seemed to be open and friendly, and not someone who would only try to use Don. To sum it up, she was exactly what their friend needed right now. She could give him the decent relationship he was secretly longing for.

"The cake looks great," Jess said then.

"Oh, then we better hide some extra pieces for us," she answered. "Because the guys and Lucy love cake. And every other kind of food."

Once again, Jess laughed. Lindsay was happy that Don had asked her to come over, to introduce his date to her and Danny. She would make sure to invite those two more often to their house. Maybe that would encourage them even more to make the next few steps in getting to know each other.


	23. Of Babies And Vacations

**A/N: Hello! :) Do you remember this fic? I hope so! Here's finally a new chapter for you guys! I hope you'll enjoy it! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! Special thanks to MesserFamilyFan100, RandomTVFan30, Daisy1966 and afrozenheart412!**

* * *

**Chapter 23: Of Babies And Vacations**

Moving into the new house had been a lot easier with the support of friends and family members. At first, Lindsay had wondered if Danny's idea to move into this house had really been a good one. After all, they had a nice apartment.

By the time they were renovating the house though, she had changed her mind. The house was perfect for them and would be even more perfect when they decided to expand their family and have another baby one day.

Another baby. The thought of that made Lindsay smile. She knew Danny loved himself in the role of a father, and he was doing great with it, too. She knew he would like to have another child soon.

And knowing him, he would also propose to her then. The thought of that caused her heart to beat faster. Being together already felt so unreal to her. But being married one day? Even more exciting.

Sitting on the stairs of the porch with a mug of fresh coffee, Lindsay took in the backyard. Buying this house had been the best decision they could have made. Growing up in Manhattan would have been alright for Lucy, too.

But this house in such a quiet area was much better for that. She could play in the backyard, with them, alone or with her friends. The playground and one set of her grandparents were close. Even school could be reached by a walk of not more than a few minutes.

Lindsay's smile widened as she imagined Danny growing up in this area. Much to Danny's dislike, Sofia liked to show her old pictures of him. And Lindsay never got tired of informing him what an adorable child he had been. Not the tallest, with big glasses most of the time, he had looked very sweet. And knowing how his own time at school had been, it caused her heart to ache when she imagined how his schoolmates had treated him.

"Hey Mommy," Lucy shouted as she stepped onto the porch as well. Looking up at her daughter, Lindsay raised her eyebrows, trying to keep a serious face.

"Just because we have an own house now doesn't mean you have to shout around so loudly," she said.

With a deep sigh, Lucy sat down next to her. "Okay, Mommy." Just briefly, she let her eyes wander across the backyard. "You know what? Now that we have such a big backyard, we so should get some pets. Like rabbits or guinea pigs or hamsters." She giggled. "Or maybe a cat, a dog or a horse."

"A horse?" Lindsay bit her bottom lip to not laugh. "What do you think Daddy would say if there was a horse in the backyard all of the sudden?"

"We'll convince him," Lucy stated plain and simple. "Just like Uncle Don and I convinced him to tell you that he loves you." She sighed deeply. "You were so stubborn! When I'm telling my friends that you're together now, we always laugh about that because Mommy, the stories you told me about kissing but still being friends were silly."

Lindsay couldn't help but laugh herself at Lucy's words. "Well, Daddy and I just wanted to make sure we really want to be together. You said one of your friend's parents don't want to be together anymore and that she's sad because they're fighting all the time. We didn't want to do that to you." It was her turn to sigh. Lucy was definitely still too young to understand hers and Danny's reasons for not getting together earlier. "But that doesn't matter anymore because we are together now."

Lucy nodded. "Now you only have to get married and then I want a sibling. Or the other way around, whatever works faster."

Lindsay's eyes widened in surprise. "You're still so much into having a sibling?"

"Of course." Lucy nodded even more firmly. "That would be so cool! Maybe I could even have a brother, that'd rock. Mommy, can't I have a sibling?"

"Well, having a baby isn't so easy," Lindsay tried to explain.

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "I know how babies are made, we learnt that at school already. Mrs. Smith said it's not difficult."

Once again, Lindsay released a soft sigh. Indeed getting pregnant was easy; Lucy was the best example for that. One passionate night and she had been expecting a baby. "Well," she tried then. "That's true of course. It can be very easy. But sometimes, especially when you plan on it, it's not so easy and then you'll have to wait quite a while." She shook her head. This conversation was getting complicated. "Are you sure you want to have a baby brother or a baby sister? Because that means Daddy and I will have to pay a lot of attention to the baby, too. You know, babies are really small and you have to be there for them a lot."

"Yes, I know, but still," Lucy replied. "You and Daddy have to get married and then I want to have a sibling. Maybe I can wish for one for Christmas? It's summer so that's still a lot of time."

"Well, why don't you let me and Daddy surprise you with that instead?" Lindsay asked. "That's much cooler, isn't it?"

Lucy considered the idea for a moment. Then she shrugged. "But only if you don't need too long for making a baby."

"Fine." Lindsay shook her head in amusement. Danny would love listening to this story later. But before she could say more, Lucy was faster again.

"You know what'd be really awesome, too?" she asked. "If we visited Grandma Hannah and Grandpa Darren again. We haven't been in Montana for ages."

"For ages, yes?" Lindsay asked with a smile.

Lucy nodded. "Yes, last time we were there, you weren't even together with Daddy yet. We should so go there again! You and Daddy didn't take any time off this summer yet, can't we do that and go to Montana then? Please?"

Once again, Lindsay couldn't help but laugh. Lucy's excitement never failed to amuse them; according to Danny, that was one of the biggest things she had in common with her mother.

"I'll discuss that with your Daddy, okay?" she asked then.

Lucy nodded. "Sounds good. Can you push me on the swings again?"

"Sure," she answered, following the excited little girl.

* * *

Danny had to admit he was surprised by himself. There had been a time when he had been eagerly looking forward to moving away from Staten Island. Manhattan; this had been the coolest part of New York, his new home where he wanted to be.

And then he had met Lindsay, then he had become a father. Now they had moved into a house, back on Staten Island, and he couldn't help but wonder why he had wanted to move away so much back then.

"Hey," Lindsay greeted him as he joined her in the kitchen. The house was surprisingly quiet; something else he needed to get used to. As Lucy's bedroom was upstairs, they were all by themselves down there in the kitchen. His girlfriend looked up with a quick smile before she turned her attention back to the stove. "You're looking tired."

"I am, believe me." Stepping over to her, Danny wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, snuggling into her. He enjoyed the way she leaned back into him, releasing a comfortable sigh as she did so.

"Dinner's almost ready," she told him. "Surely will make you feel better."

"You know what'd really make me feel better?" he wanted to know. "You and me going upstairs later when Lucy's sleeping. Then we'll have a long, hot bath together. And then..."

"You and your naughty mind," Lindsay said, playfully shaking her head at him. "I wonder how you managed to handle being single for such a long time. You're insatiable."

"Well, I think you got this wrong a bit," Danny told her, placing a loving kiss onto her shoulder. "It's not about me not getting enough of sex. This is about me being addicted to you." He brushed his lips along her neck, enjoying the way she shuddered. "I wanted you all the time. That's why I wasn't together with a woman for such a long time. Because all I could think of was you. And of how sexy you are."

"Are you trying to seduce me?" she asked back, her voice revealing to him the effect he was already having on her.

"I don't need to seduce you," he whispered into her ear. "Because I know you can't get enough of me either."

"Oh wow. Could you be any fuller of yourself?" Turning around in his arms, Lindsay glared at him playfully. "And no naughty reply to that." Leaning in, she kissed him softly, pulling back just in time before he could deepen the kiss. "You know what we really need? A vacation."

"A vacation?" Danny asked.

Lindsay nodded. "Lucy brought it up earlier. We didn't take any days off this summer yet. We had the usual stress with the diner, but don't forget that we also moved into a new house. Working and moving has been very stressful for us. I think we deserve a decent vacation."

"I see," Danny replied. The idea sounded very alluring to him. "And I have the feeling that our daughter already picked a location for our vacation?"

Lindsay smiled. "You know us so well." Wrapping her arms around his waist, she pulled him a little closer. "She said she'd love to go to Montana again. We haven't been there for a while." She smirked. "She also said she expects us to make her a sibling soon, but I managed to convince her that we'll surprise her with that rather than hurrying up to present her a baby as a Christmas present."

He laughed. "Someone's always expecting something from us, huh? First we're supposed to get together. Now that we are in fact together, everyone wants us to get married and have another baby." He paused, studying his girlfriend. A lot of times lately, those topics had come up. Their families and friends were good at coming up with new expectations. But so far, they hadn't discussed those topics with each other yet. "Do you also want us to hurry up with that?"

Her smile softened as she glanced up at him again. "You and I needed so long to get together. Now we even have our own house. I want us to do what feels right to us and when it feels right to us. I know they'll keep on asking us to do what they want us to do. But this is our relationship, right? It's about us."

"I knew you'd agree with me," Danny answered, kissing her.

Lindsay chuckled. "Yes, but you still have to tell me what you think of a vacation. Of going to Montana."

"Well, what should I be thinking?" Danny asked with a smile of himself. "I agree that we need a vacation. A nice, relaxing one. That rules out everything stressful with a lot of activities. So what's better than Montana? We have a big holiday house which we don't need to pay with, we can have three big meals with your family every day, we can have some time on our own when Hannah and Darren are babysitting Lucy. And the landscape isn't so bad either."

"It isn't so bad either?" Playfully, Lindsay glared at him. "The landscape is amazing. It's beautiful. It's stunning. You said yourself that you like the wheat fields."

He nodded. "And now that we're together, I might like the wheat fields even more."

She tried to glare at him again, couldn't help but laugh though. "And again here are the naughty thoughts."

"I don't know why that's still surprising you, you should know me by now," he answered with a wink.

She chuckled. "True. So I can call my parents and tell them we'll come over for a vacation?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll talk to Don about that."

Smiling even more, Lindsay turned her attention back to making dinner. Danny watched her, enjoying how excited she was. A trip to Montana would be a great way for them to relax.


End file.
